Fellow-Townsmen is a novella of less than one hundred pages in length, and captures in miniature some of the central preoccupations of Hardy’s major works. Delicately chronicling the cruel twists and turns of human fate, it exemplifies the author's enduring perfection of his literary craft – and the artistic brilliance of his passionate portrayal of the trials of the human heart.

Barnet and Downe are old but estranged friends. Barnet, a prosperous merchant, has been unlucky in love. Downe, a poor solicitor, has made a radiantly happy marriage. One night, they meet by chance in the street – and a train of events are set in motion which change their lives. Both a meticulous record of English provincial customs, and a melancholic reflection on the brevity of human happiness, this short work is imbued with the philosophy, artistry and themes of Hardy’s major fiction.