Daniel is heading north. He is looking for someone. The simplicity of his early life with Daddy and Cathy has turned sour and fearful. They lived apart in the house that Daddy built for them with his bare hands. They foraged and hunted. When they were younger, Daniel and Cathy had gone to school. But they were not like the other children then, and they were even less like them now.
Sometimes Daddy 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.
Atmospheric and unsettling, Elmet is a lyrical commentary on contemporary society and one family's precarious place in it, as well as an exploration of how deep the bond between father and child can go.
About the Author
Fiona Mozley grew up in York and went to King's College, Cambridge, after which she lived in Buenos Aires and London. She is studying for a PhD in medieval history. Elmet is her first novel and it has been shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize 2017.
Industry Reviews
A quiet explosion of a book, exquisite and unforgettable * The Economist *
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 * Evening Standard *
Exceptional in every way * Mail on Sunday *
A work of troubling beauty . . . Brutal, bleak, ethereal * New Statesman *
Mozley is a gifted writer . . . Pastoral idyll, political expose, 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 *
An impressive slice of contemporary noir steeped in Yorkshire legend . . . Elmet possesses a rich and unfussy lyricism * Guardian *
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 * Stylist, Book Wars *
Rhythmic and lilting . . . a rich and earthy tale * Financial Times *
At its best, it reminds you of Cormac McCarthy's The Road * Metro *
A cleverly constructed rural Gothic fable written in palatably simple prose . . . Elmet is a marvellous achievement * TLS *
A novel that straddles the centuries, simultaneously modern and backward-looking, Hardeyesque yet fully engaged with contemporary politics * Literary Review *
With subtle colloquial dialogue and vibrant descriptive passages, this is an evocative read, which deserves attention * Sunday Independent *
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 * The Spectator, Books of the Year *
An amazingly brilliant debut novel . . . and a work of extraordinary Yorkshire grit . . . exquisite -- Jenni Murray * Guardian, Books of the Year *
Lyrical and mythic . . . a beguiling patchwork of influences held together by Mozley's distinct voice * New York Times *
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 * People Magazine, Book of the Week *
Fiona Mozley's remarkable debut looks at life on the margins of society . . . A darkly evocative tale that lingers in one's mind * Financial Times, Books of the Year *
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 * Observer, Books of the Year *
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 * Metro, Books of the Year *
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 * Observer *
A modern West Riding Western with the most memorable climax since Golgotha. Haunting, page-turning with characters that burst on to the page * FT, Summer Reads *
