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Synopsis

In one of the most celebrated debut novels of recent years, Ross Raisin tells the story of solitary young farmer, Sam Marsdyke, and his extraordinary battle with the world. Expelled from school and cut off from the town, mistrusted by his parents and avoided by city incomers, Marsdyke is a loner until he meets rebellious new neighbour Josephine. But what begins as a friendship and leads to thoughts of escape across the moors turns to something much, much darker with every step.

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Reviews

Customer Review: 29 June 2009

Reviewer: Gina Hobson

'We found there was a lot to talk about when discussing this book with varying impressions and views making for a lively debate. We all agreed that it was an original and extraordinary debut novel but many wouldn''t agree that the word ''comic'' on the jacket applied to the book as a whole. The behaviour of the ''towns''seemed accurate and funny but the overall feeling was one of menace and foreboding. I think that we all felt from the moment of the incident with the chicken that Sam is unable to control his anger and things were going to get darker. Some were divided on the character of Sam. The majority had a lot of sympathy for this young man who was physically, socially and emotionally isolated from his family and the rest of the world. We discussed whether he perhaps suffered from Aspergers, AHD or would be described as a sociopath. He seemed to be more in tune with the natural world and animals than he was with human beings with whom he found it difficult to communicate. Some of us found the final chapters very sad and moving. We all liked the language and even if we weren''t familiar with the words we still didn''t find this a handicap or spoil our enjoyment. The sound of words like ''glishy'' or ''skiffling'' suggest their meaning although one sceptic was suspicious of Raisin''s acknowledgement to the Yorkshire Dictionary of Dialect in the back of the book. We felt we couldn''t warm to any of the other characters especially the girl Josephine but most of us felt that the book stayed with us long after we''d finished it and was very thought provoking. One member of the group who hadn''t read the book but listened to our discussion said the book sounded similar to a book she''d recently read called ''BOY A''. Thank you Penguin for the books. We really appreciated it.'

Critic Review:

‘One of the most eagerly awaited literary debuts of 2008…It begins as a finely observed coming-of-age story but moves into darker territory.’
Observer

‘Sam Marsdyke, the anti-hero of this much-praised debut novel, is an unforgettable creation…to have created such an unusual voice – funny unsettling, and exactly tuned to the tensions and conflicts that characterise contemporary English society – is an astonishing feat’
Times

‘Combining the bald ugliness of farming life with wit and unexpected glimpses of beauty, this debut was a deserved contender for the Guardian First Book Award.’
Daily Mail

‘What makes this novel remarkable is Raisin’s creation of an entirely original voice for his protagonist.’
Sunday Times

‘One of the outstanding first novels of 2008’
Sunday Telegraph

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