Reader Score
78%
78% of readers
recommend this book
Critic Reviews
Good
Based on 9 reviews on
The family thought the little house they had made themselves in Elmet, a corner of Yorkshire, was theirs, that their peaceful, self-sufficient life was safe. Cathy and Daniel roamed the woods freely, occasionally visiting a local woman for some schooling, living outside all conventions. Their father built things and hunted, working with his hands; sometimes he would disappear, forced to do secret, brutal work for money, but to them he was a gentle protector. Narrated by Daniel after a catastrophic event has occurred, Elmet mesmerizes even as it becomes clear the family's solitary idyll will not last. When a local landowner shows up on their doorstep, their precarious existence is threatened, their innocence lost. Daddy and Cathy, both of them fierce, strong, and unyielding, set out to protect themselves and their neighbors, putting into motion a chain of events that can only end in violence. As rich, wild, dark, and beautiful as its Yorkshire setting, Elmet is a gripping debut about life on the margins and the power--and limits--of family loyalty.
Theorist; poet; contemporary lit scholar; ashtangi; beleaguered cat-feeder. Currently Head of English. She/her. Author of Contemporary Feminist Life-Writing.
Elmet by Fiona Mozley, a strange, haunting novel with a strange, vulnerable narrator & as I got 1/2 way through I thought ‘oh no, it’s going to be one of those endings’ but it wasn’t. It was brutal & yet righteous & complex & heart-rending. /1
Word botherer, lecturer, wild swimmer. "I'm writing a novel." "Neither am I."
@Wylmenmuir @RupertThomson1 I must add Elmet (Fiona Mozley) and Night Boat to Tangier (Kevin Barry) - both stunning. None of my list partic Bolano-esque...but you will emerge dazed and changed (as I did with Fox Fires)
Steph Cha is an author and critic.
I read "Elmet" and "Hot Stew" by Fiona Mozley this year (reviewed the latter for USA Today). "Elmet" is a fiery book set in rural England with one of the most memorable endings I've ever read. "Hot Stew" is an urban opera about money, sex, art, and power. https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/books/2021/04/20/hot-stew-review-fiona-mozley-returns-ambitious-new-novel/7263154002/