Author:Ross Raisin
Granta Best Young British Novelist and Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year, Shortlisted for NINE literary awards
'Ross Raisin's story of how a disturbed but basically well-intentioned rural youngster turns into a malevolent sociopath is both chilling in its effect and convincing in its execution' J. M. Coetzee
'Utterly frightening and electrifying' Joshua Ferris
'Astonishing, funny, unsettling ... An unforgettable creation [whose] literary forebears include Huckleberry Finn, Holden Caulfield and Alex from A Clockwork Orange' The Times
'Remarkable, compelling, very funny and very disturbing . . . like no other character in contemporary fiction' Sunday Times
In God's Own Country, 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.
'Powerful, engrossing, extraordinary, sinister, comic. A masterful debut' Observer
A bittersweet work, tough and touching at the same time. Kurkov's style is spare and effective, drawing us with deceptive ease into a dense, complex world full of wonderful characters
—— Michael PalinInventive, funny and worryingly prophetic
—— Tibor Fischer , GuardianKurkov is a fine satirist and a real, blackly comic find
—— ObserverKurkov sports a double whammy: the fiercest of political intelligences married to a truly surrealistic mindset ... This is an ambitious, multi-layered political black comedy
—— IndependentKurkov's eye for the absurdities of Ukrainian life is as sharp as ever
—— Sunday TelegraphSparkily funny and richly satirical
—— MetroBy turns darkly humorous, sometimes hilarious, particularly when any of his characters bump up against the state and touchingly endearing as his characters struggle through their tribulations
—— Sunday Expresscomical, charming... funny and distinct
—— Toby Clements , Daily TelegraphKurkov's touching and multi-layered satire sheds a surprisingly mellow light on life and lies before and after the iron curtain
—— Emma Hagestadt , Independent