#Elmet #FionaMozley #BookReview

ELMET 

by FIONA MOZLEY 

This novel was shortlisted for The Man Booker Prize and it is clear to see why. This is a modern day fairy tale, a contemporary fable and a novel that echoes the prose of literary classics but with a freshness and a poignancy that makes it unforgettable and powerful. 

The story is set in a small place called Elmet, in the wilds of Yorkshire. Although this is a fictitious location, Elmet was actually 'the last independent Celtic kingdom in England'. In the epigram at the beginning of the book, Mozley quotes Ted Hughes who refers to Elmet as the 'badlands....a sanctuary for refugees from the law' and this helps establish the atmosphere of the book and some of the themes it explores. This is a novel about the bonds between a father and his children but also explores power, poverty and people who live on the margins of society. The allusion to outcasts, Robin Hood and those living unconventionally is obvious and enhances the sense of isolation and protection that exists within this unique family set up.

  Daniel, his sister Cathy and their father are a tight knit family who are self sufficient and live off the land; their father teaches them how to hunt, kill and survive in the woods and they are reliant on nothing but their own physical strength and instinct to survive. Without the continuous mention or reference to gadgets and devices used daily in modern life, this book feels as if it belongs in the past but actually it is set in contemporary times and the concerns, themes and issues are relevant and important. 

The novel is narrated by fourteen year old Daniel who is returning North in search of something. There are two narratives; the present day chapters are written in italics and then the others, also narrated by Daniel, take us back and lead us through the events that precede the horrific catastrophe  that has been foreshadowed by the ominous atmosphere and growing sense of violence. Despite Daniel and Cathy's contentment and satisfaction with their childhood spent roaming in the woods, occasional schooling and a strong relationship with their father, there is evidence that this will not continue forever. Every now and again their father disappears to fight. His anger and rage dissipates when once back with them, but when a local landowner turns up on their doorstep claiming that the land is not his, this sanctuary he's created doesn't actually belong to him, then this capacity for violence is awakened in the one place the children thought they were safe. 

This is a beautifully written, poetic and mesmerising read with descriptions, images and sentences that are nothing short of brilliant. For the most part it is unassuming, simple and stark.  Mozley's clever use of language captures the landscape, isolation and dynamics between the characters who believe they have found an idyllic way to live. I could quote pages and pages of exquisite passages that recount routines, details from their daily life, their roaming and adventuring, the moments they share and the wisdom that is imparted through gesture and sparse dialogue. Mozley's writing is understated but powerful. And then as the novel journeys towards it's denouement, the language becomes bleak, powerful and haunting with an ending that has to be one of the most shocking and horrific scenes I have ever read. Mozley's prose is so bare, raw and stunning that this is book sweeps you up with its lyrical intensity. It leaves you breathless and battered and bereft. 

I was reminded of Ted Hughes, Thomas Hardy and of course, the Yorkshire countryside always conjures the ghosts of the Brontes, but I was also reminded of Claire Fuller's Our Endless Numbered Days as she is another writer who uses beautiful writing to describe complex and sinister stories. 

This is a highly memorable, truly engaging literary read. It is draws on many influences and genres to tell a story full of depth, warning and tragedy. My highlighter pen has run dry from marking lines I loved but you are not here to read an English essay. If you like Claire Fuller, Jon McGregor, Sarah Perry and books that are shortlisted for such prominent awards, then Elmet should be on your bookshelf this year.  

Elmet was published by JM Originals in August 2017. 

Fiona Mozley was born in Hackney but grew up in York and studied at Cambridge before moving to Buenos Aires for a year - without speaking any Spanish. After briefly working at a literary agency in London, she moved back to York to complete a PhD in Medieval Studies. She also has a weekend job at The Little Apple Bookshop in York. Elmet is her first novel and has been shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize 2017.