God’s Own Country – Ross Raisin
March 15, 2010 9:27 am Book ReviewsThis book is certainly one that’s hard to put down. It’s not that long, so a good one if you want a relatively quick read. I found myself reading it on my way to work, whilst walking to the shops, standing in a queue for my coffee. I just had to find out where the plot was going to go.
The debut novel is a first person narrative, and the Yorkshire dialect comes through strongly. I learnt to use the words ‘gleg’ and ‘goylem’ in normal conversation. Sam is a farmer’s son, who was expelled from school and who always seems to be getting into awkward situations. His voice is fascinating and utterly compelling, and his way of thinking soon becomes the way things are.
The story follows him and his bizarre friendship with a new ‘town’ girl – a city girl moved into the country. What happens is truly a far cry from anything I expected. It’s both haunting and, in some ways, beautiful; creating such a character you are torn as to how reliable a narrator he is and whether you wish you could truly understand him more than you do.
If you have a spare couple of hours, read this book. It shocked me more than I was expecting and taught me a lot about people, relationships, and perceptions.