Elmet

　　John Smythe，他的孩子都喊他爹地，和女兒Cathy、兒子Daniel遠離人群，在Elmet廢棄的矮林間建了自己的房子，在那裡，他們自給自足、以合乎道德的方式使用周遭的自然資源。

　　他們簡單而平靜的生活，隨著曾聘僱John為他討債的地主Price到來，嘎然而止。

　　John高大、強壯，靠參與非法拳賽維生，而且是這塊土地上最頂尖的。然而他知道他所擁有的、能在比賽中痛擊對手的強悍力量，在現實中根本難以撼動這個世界──即便在他們棲身的這塊偏遠林地，都有階級和支配順序，而他們三人的家庭在這個順序的最底層。

　　不久之後，John便與長期領取低薪的農場勞工、受壓迫的租戶起而抗爭，與Price一幫地主、農場主人對抗。而能夠解決這次紛爭的條件，是John必須參加一場血腥的比賽，但暴力並未到此為止……。

　　新銳作家Fiona Mozley初試啼聲即一鳴驚人，透過少年Daniel的視角，引人入勝地描繪了居住在社會邊緣的這一家人，他們的平和與憤怒。Mozley在這部小說中書寫了自然生態、階級與性別的衝突、以及英格蘭長久以來的奮鬥史，並以這個野蠻、殘酷又美麗的故事，揭露了當人被推到極限時，所能夠做出的令人不安、震驚的行動。(文/博客來編譯)

　　SHORTLISTED FOR THE MAN BOOKER PRIZE 2017

　　'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.

　　Review

　　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)

　　A work of troubling beauty . . . Brutal, bleak, ethereal (New Statesman)

　　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 (Sunday Times)

　　An impressive slice of contemporary noir steeped in Yorkshire legend . . . Elmet possesses a rich and unfussy lyricism (Guardian)

　　Elmet, with its rugged landscape, violence and high emotion, recalls Wuthering Heights written with a wholly new voice. This debut is the start of something big (Stylist)

　　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)

作者簡介

　　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.