Fiona Mozley - Elmet (John Murray, 2018) ***½

"Elmet" is the story of a boy and a girl who live in the woods, outside society, in the sometimes presence of a father who lives from poaching, boxing and day jobs. Soon they are confronted with the nastiness of those in power, with property and money, and they are sucked up in a life they do not want. 

The brutal, raw and pure power of the father, almost stripped to a basic human form of fatherly love, and violent emotions, who does not understand property deeds, bureaucracy and the subtleties of legislation and regulations, is in stark contrast to the hypocritical, sly and evil attitude of the world around them. 

Despite this almost black & white opposition of positions and characters, Mozley manages to turn the story into a very likeable and compelling narrative, in which all characters come to life in a credible and human form, with the children somehow caught in the middle, full of love for their father, but uncertain how they fit in. 

A memorable book.