Deeping

The White Gate Deeping

It starts off pretty interesting, a WW1 vet of 40 (and up and coming engineer/ inventor) sets up home in a quiet village where he sets eyes on a rather Ophelia-type young woman living under the tyrannical shadow of her alcoholic mother. Her life is so miserable she loses the will to live and even contemplates suicide. The man decides to make it his mission to bring happiness to this somewhat limpid creature and that's "The White Gate" in a nutshell.