Elmet
Polari Prize, 2018
SHORTLISTED FOR THE MAN BOOKER PRIZE 2017 AND THE PFD/SUNDAY TIMES YOUNG WRITER OF THE YEAR AWARD
WINNER OF A SOMERSET MAUGHAM AWARD AND THE POLARI PRIZE
‘A quiet explosion of a book, exquisite and unforgettable’ The Economist
‘A cleverly constructed rural Gothic fable . . . Elmet is a marvellous achievement’ TLS
‘Pastoral idyll, political exposé, cosy family saga and horror tale, it reads like a traditional children’s story that turns into a gangster film: Hansel and Gretel meets The Godfather’ Sunday Times
Daniel is heading north. He is looking for someone. The simplicity of his early life with Daddy and Cathy has turned menacing and fearful. They lived apart in the house that Daddy built for them in the woods with his bare hands. They foraged and hunted.
Cathy was more like their father: fierce and full of simmering anger. Daniel was more like their mother: gentle and kind. Sometimes, their father disappeared, and would return with a rage in his eyes. But when he was at home, he was at peace. He told them that the little copse in Elmet was theirs alone. But that wasn’t true. Local men, greedy and watchful, began to circle like vultures. All the while, the terrible violence in Daddy grew.
Brutal and beautiful in equal measure, Elmet is a compelling portrayal of a family living on the fringes of contemporary society, as well as a gripping exploration of the disturbing actions people are capable of when pushed to their limits.
WINNER OF A SOMERSET MAUGHAM AWARD AND THE POLARI PRIZE
‘A quiet explosion of a book, exquisite and unforgettable’ The Economist
‘A cleverly constructed rural Gothic fable . . . Elmet is a marvellous achievement’ TLS
‘Pastoral idyll, political exposé, cosy family saga and horror tale, it reads like a traditional children’s story that turns into a gangster film: Hansel and Gretel meets The Godfather’ Sunday Times
Daniel is heading north. He is looking for someone. The simplicity of his early life with Daddy and Cathy has turned menacing and fearful. They lived apart in the house that Daddy built for them in the woods with his bare hands. They foraged and hunted.
Cathy was more like their father: fierce and full of simmering anger. Daniel was more like their mother: gentle and kind. Sometimes, their father disappeared, and would return with a rage in his eyes. But when he was at home, he was at peace. He told them that the little copse in Elmet was theirs alone. But that wasn’t true. Local men, greedy and watchful, began to circle like vultures. All the while, the terrible violence in Daddy grew.
Brutal and beautiful in equal measure, Elmet is a compelling portrayal of a family living on the fringes of contemporary society, as well as a gripping exploration of the disturbing actions people are capable of when pushed to their limits.
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Reviews
Mozley is a gifted writer . . . Pastoral idyll, political exposé, cosy family saga and horror tale, it reads like a traditional children's story that turns into a gangster film: Hansel and Gretel meets The Godfather
A rare find of a book and a truly startling debut . . . a fascinating and unique tale shot through with gothic elements of Yorkshire folklore and fable. A poignant and powerful story, relevant now more than ever in a time when many in the countryside feel disenfranchised and unheard, Elmet packs a punch
Rhythmic and lilting . . . a rich and earthy tale
A novel that straddles the centuries, simultaneously modern and backward-looking, Hardeyesque yet fully engaged with contemporary politics
A cleverly constructed rural Gothic fable written in palatably simple prose . . . Elmet is a marvellous achievement
With subtle colloquial dialogue and vibrant descriptive passages, this is an evocative read, which deserves attention
Spellbinding . . . What is so memorable is the sense of utter desolation of this family. They are as outside our world as Lear and Edgar on the heath
An amazingly brilliant debut novel . . . and a work of extraordinary Yorkshire grit . . . exquisite
Lyrical and mythic . . . a beguiling patchwork of influences held together by Mozley's distinct voice
A magical debut novel . . . this dazzling debut feels steeped in a more primitive, violent past . . . in seductively poetic prose, the book shines a light on the toll of power wielded cruelly, as well as on a countering force: the extraordinary sustenance family devotion can provide
Fiona Mozley's remarkable debut looks at life on the margins of society . . . A darkly evocative tale that lingers in one's mind
A cracking read. Darkly lyrical and full of violence, Mozley's Yorkshire owes something to Ted Hughes, something to older, deeper folk tales and fables. She's a name to watch
Exceptional in every way
Fiona Mozley might have been the surprise debut author on last year's Man Booker prize shortlist , but her story of a bare-knuckle fighter who retreats to a Yorkshire copse with his children is deserving of the attention it received. Elmet taps into an almost mythological world where "Daddy" shapes his children to be "more like an army than a family". Its politics are fascinating too - there's much to chew on here about how we define the disenfranchised
The breakout debut was the surprise dark horse on the Man Booker shortlist this year. A restless, fiercely felt novel about the deep bonds within an outlaw family in rural Yorkshire, it combines a demanding lyrical intensity with passages of astonishing violence and marks out Mozley, not yet 30, as a writer of great promise
A modern West Riding Western with the most memorable climax since Golgotha. Haunting, page-turning with characters that burst on to the page
Elmet is in so many ways a wonder to behold. It is also this year's David among the predictable Goliaths on the Booker list. How thrilling if David were to win against them
A quiet explosion of a book, exquisite and unforgettable
An impressive slice of contemporary noir steeped in Yorkshire legend . . . Elmet possesses a rich and unfussy lyricism
A work of troubling beauty . . . Brutal, bleak, ethereal
Mozley is a gifted writer . . . Pastoral idyll, political exposé, cosy family saga and horror tale, it reads like a traditional children's story that turns into a gangster film: Hansel and Gretel meets The Godfather
A rare find of a book and a truly startling debut . . . a fascinating and unique tale shot through with gothic elements of Yorkshire folklore and fable. A poignant and powerful story, relevant now more than ever in a time when many in the countryside feel disenfranchised and unheard, Elmet packs a punch
Rhythmic and lilting . . . a rich and earthy tale
A novel that straddles the centuries, simultaneously modern and backward-looking, Hardeyesque yet fully engaged with contemporary politics
A cleverly constructed rural Gothic fable written in palatably simple prose . . . Elmet is a marvellous achievement
With subtle colloquial dialogue and vibrant descriptive passages, this is an evocative read, which deserves attention
Spellbinding . . . What is so memorable is the sense of utter desolation of this family. They are as outside our world as Lear and Edgar on the heath
An amazingly brilliant debut novel . . . and a work of extraordinary Yorkshire grit . . . exquisite
Lyrical and mythic . . . a beguiling patchwork of influences held together by Mozley's distinct voice
A magical debut novel . . . this dazzling debut feels steeped in a more primitive, violent past . . . in seductively poetic prose, the book shines a light on the toll of power wielded cruelly, as well as on a countering force: the extraordinary sustenance family devotion can provide
Fiona Mozley's remarkable debut looks at life on the margins of society . . . A darkly evocative tale that lingers in one's mind
A cracking read. Darkly lyrical and full of violence, Mozley's Yorkshire owes something to Ted Hughes, something to older, deeper folk tales and fables. She's a name to watch
The breakout debut was the surprise dark horse on the Man Booker shortlist this year. A restless, fiercely felt novel about the deep bonds within an outlaw family in rural Yorkshire, it combines a demanding lyrical intensity with passages of astonishing violence and marks out Mozley, not yet 30, as a writer of great promise
Exceptional in every way
Fiona Mozley might have been the surprise debut author on last year's Man Booker prize shortlist , but her story of a bare-knuckle fighter who retreats to a Yorkshire copse with his children is deserving of the attention it received. Elmet taps into an almost mythological world where "Daddy" shapes his children to be "more like an army than a family". Its politics are fascinating too - there's much to chew on here about how we define the disenfranchised
A modern West Riding Western with the most memorable climax since Golgotha. Haunting, page-turning with characters that burst on to the page
At its best, it reminds you of Cormac McCarthy's The Road
Elmet is in so many ways a wonder to behold. It is also this year's David among the predictable Goliaths on the Booker list. How thrilling if David were to win against them
A quiet explosion of a book, exquisite and unforgettable
An impressive slice of contemporary noir steeped in Yorkshire legend . . . Elmet possesses a rich and unfussy lyricism
A work of troubling beauty . . . Brutal, bleak, ethereal
At its best, it reminds you of Cormac McCarthy's The Road