Midwinter. As former farmhand Jake, a widower in his seventies, wanders the beautiful, austere moors of North Yorkshire trying to evade capture, we learn of the events of his past: the wife he loved and lost, their child he knows cannot be his, and the deep-seated need for revenge that manifests itself in a moment of violence. On the coast, Jake's friend, Sheila, receives the devastating news. The aftermath of Jake's actions, and what it brings to the surface, will change her life forever. But how will she react when he turns up at her door? As beauty and tenderness blend with violence, this story transports us to a different world, subtly exploring love and loss in a language that both bruises and heals.

`A taut, spare story of survival that turns on its heel to become something altogether braver, rarer and more precious' - Melissa Harrison; 'A gritty Northern noir, it's a book about love, loss, grief, revenge and lust, and it's just got this brooding and intense atmosphere to it, so you can't stop reading it. Highly recommended' - Simon Savidge; 'A stunning novel. Ray Robinson is a wonderful writer. Raw, lyrical, and intensely moving' - Essie Fox

About the Author
Ray Robinson's debut novel, Electricity, was shortlisted for the James Tait Black Memorial Prize and the Authors' Club Best First Novel Award. The screen adaptation won Best Screenplay at the National Film Awards. The Mating Habits of Stags is based on a short film he wrote called Edith, starring Peter Mullan and Michelle Fairley.

Reviews
'It's a one-off. What makes it so special is Robinson's descriptions of nature. Poetic and beautifully brutal - no "hello, trees" mimsy. The dialogue is no-nonsense Yorkshire demotic. A heady mix' - Robbie Millen, The Times; 'A wonderfully empathetic account...full of candour, lyricism and compassion' - The Spectator; `Rich, compelling stuff' - Metro; 'This extraordinary novel gets under the skin from the first paragraph. Robinson never goes for the trite or the neat. Hope and humanity emerge against the odds in a bittersweet and starkly beautiful tale that lingers long in the memory' - Yorkshire Post; 'This is a whydunnit, a lyrical mix of nature notes, traditional song and tragic narrative, peopled with compelling characters' - Saga Magazine; 'Ray Robinson's novel of revenge and counter-revenge, of reconciliation, and of love and growth in the thawing of an iron landscape, is a masterwork of unforgiving beauty' - Yorkshire Times


Awards
Short-listed for The Portico Prize 2019.



Book Information
ISBN 9781785631382
Author Ray Robinson
Format Paperback
Page Count 224
Imprint Lightning Books
Publisher Eye Books
Weight(grams) 190g
Dimensions(mm) 198mm * 129mm * 14mm