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 * 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 * 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 * 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 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 * Lyrical and mythic . . . a beguiling patchwork of influences held together by Mozley's distinct voice * New York Times * An amazingly brilliant debut novel . . . and a work of extraordinary Yorkshire grit . . . exquisite -- Jenni Murray * Guardian, Books of the Year * 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 * With subtle colloquial dialogue and vibrant descriptive passages, this is an evocative read, which deserves attention * Sunday Independent * A novel that straddles the centuries, simultaneously modern and backward-looking, Hardeyesque yet fully engaged with contemporary politics * Literary Review * A cleverly constructed rural Gothic fable written in palatably simple prose . . . Elmet is a marvellous achievement * TLS * At its best, it reminds you of Cormac McCarthy's The Road * Metro * Rhythmic and lilting . . . a rich and earthy tale * Financial Times * 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 * An impressive slice of contemporary noir steeped in Yorkshire legend . . . Elmet possesses a rich and unfussy lyricism * Guardian * 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 * A work of troubling beauty . . . Brutal, bleak, ethereal * New Statesman * Exceptional in every way * Mail on Sunday * 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 * A quiet explosion of a book, exquisite and unforgettable * The Economist *
