Synopses & Reviews
From Ross Raisin, the highly acclaimed author of Out Backward—a debut novel Colm Tóibín called “compelling, disturbing and often very funny”—comes the moving and story of an ex-shipyard workers journey of grief and reclamation in the wake of his wifes death. Lyrical and resonant, with echoes of Paul Hardings Tinkers and Anne Enrights The Gathering, Raisins blue collar story of a mans fractured search for a new beginning is a powerfully voiced, penetratingly personal narrative of alienation and, ultimately, redemption.
“Ross Raisin confirms himself as an exciting talent, a unique, gifted, and generous voice, a young writer with a vision broad far beyond his years.” —David Vann, Financial Times
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“Remarkable.” Sunday Times (London) for < i=""> Out Backward <>
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“Chilling.” Kirkus Reviews for < i=""> Out Backward <>
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“The bony grip exerted by debut London novelist Ross Raisins Out Backward is muscled by voice…. [The book] reads like a long ballad sung by a lonesome madman.” Toronto Star for < i=""> Out Backward <>
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“Recalls the visceral lyricism of Irvine Welsh…a rewardingif somewhat disturbingtale of fear, obsession, and sexuality.” School Library Journal for < i=""> Out Backward <>
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“[Out Backward] will grab you….Sam has a lot to say about the class system, apparently still the bane of Britain…. The ending of ‘Out Backward leaves open the possibility of a sequel. And the possibility seems curiously pleasing.” St. Louis Post Dispatch for < i=""> Out Backward <>
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“This is a near-perfectly executed book, seamlessly constructed.” Brooklyn Rail for < i=""> Out Backward <>
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“In Sam Marsdyke, Raisin has created a truly memorable and distinctive voice. Its a very impressive debut.” Daily Mail for < i=""> Out Backward <>
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“A very strong debut.” The Spectator for < i=""> Out Backward <>
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“The hero of Ross Raisins Gods Own Country told his tale of town versus country in an impressively angry, highly individual voice.” Telegraph for < i=""> Out Backward <>
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“A powerful depiction of the dislocating effects of grief....genuinely moving.” Publishers Weekly
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“Raisin is shaping up to be one of our most extraordinary writers.” Catherine Taylor, Telegraph (UK)
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“What impresses about Raisin is the all-encompassing nature of his imaginative empathy, and the way in which he makes the reader complicit in his characters fate . . . Electric.” Andrew Holgate, Sunday Times (London)
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“A mature, taut and beautifully written study of a perennial outsider.” Sunday Times (London) for < i=""> Out Backward <>
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“Compelling…. An entirely original voice…Marsdyke, who blends colloquialism with flights of verbal fancy, is like no other character in contemporary fiction…. He is both very funny and very disturbing.” The Sunday Times (London) for < i=""> Out Backward <>
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“Its Marsdykes voice that is Raisins most extraordinary and original achievement, a fabulously onomatopoeic patois woven from the language of the Yorkshire farmyard; a stream of consciousness that slides between the comic and the sinister…. Raisin is one to watch; controlled, mature and compelling, this is a masterful debut.” The Observer for < i=""> Out Backward <>
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“Ross Raisins 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 for < i=""> Out Backward <>
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“The first thing youll notice about Raisins debut novel, Out Backward, is its Yorkshire-farmer dialogue. The second thing youll notice is that its teen narrator is a spying, sneaky sociopath…. if you stick around, youll get a concentrated dose of evil.” Time Out New York for < i=""> Out Backward <>
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“The vernacular is only one aspect of the vitality and inventiveness of Raisins writing…. A writer of outstanding talent and it will be fascinating to see what he comes up with next.” Peter Carty, Independent (UK)
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“A few pages with Sam Marsdyke are unforgettable. Rare are the writers who can create such a funny yet terrifying narrator; the comparison is the murderous Francie Brady in Patrick McCabes classic The Butcher Boy…. Deeply unsettling, yet far from a grim read…well worth a visit.” Financial Times for < i=""> Out Backward <>
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“[A] lyrical debut….The Yorkshire dialect and a stream-of-consciousness narration…lend an air of authority to this tightly plotted and disturbing effort.” Publishers Weekly for < i=""> Out Backward <>
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“Waterline announces Raisin as a profound thinker as well as a distinctive voice.” Esquire (UK)
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“Spend just a few pages in the company of Sam Marsdyke…and its an unforgettable experience. Rare are the writers who have created such a funny yet terrifying narrator; the instant comparison is Francie Bradie in Patrick McCabes classic The Butcher Boy.” Bookseller for < i=""> Out Backward <>
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“A first novel…with panache…. Engaging. Raisins achievement in creating and sustaining such a richly distinctive narrative voice is considerable.” The Independent for < i=""> Out Backward <>
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“Excellent…. Sam is endowed with a richly lyrical narrative voice and an extravagant vocabulary…. He is also extremely entertaining company…. A wonderfully unique novel - a comic commentary on rural decline and a deeply unsettling character study.” The Sunday Telegraph for < i=""> Out Backward <>
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“It is a joy to read for the dialect alone, a linguistic feast…. Sams is such a fantastically vivid voice that its not surprising reality pales in comparisonthats part of his problem. Its also what makes Gods Own Country such an absorbing read, and Raisin a young writer to watch.” The Guardian for < i=""> Out Backward <>
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“Ross Raisins debut, Gods Own Country, was deservedly acclaimed, and Waterline is similarly impressive, with Raisin again making vivid, compelling use of the vernacular…. It remains to the last supremely empathic, and Raisins powers of observation intense.” Stephanie Cross, Daily Mail (UK)
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“Utterly frightening and electrifying.” Joshua Ferris for < i=""> Out Backward <>
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“Out Backward more [than A Clockwork Orange] convincingly registers the internal logic of unredeemable delinquency, a dangerous subjectivity that perverts compassion and sees everything as an extension of itself.” Washington Post Book World for < i=""> Out Backward <>
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“A standout….Evocative…. strong echoes of George Orwells classic, Down and Out in Paris and London.” Maureen Corrigan, NPR's Fresh Air
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“Heartbreaking…. Waterline is a great read, and Micks story is one you wont forget. With this second novel, Ross Raisin confirms himself as an exciting talent, a unique, gifted, and generous voice, a young writer with a vision broad far beyond his years.” David Vann, Financial Times
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“Affecting...” Rachel Nolan, New York Times Book Review
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“Raisin works magic with bleak and disturbing material….In Raisins hands the story is magnetic….Without ever hitting a preachy note, here is a book that makes homelessness human, sometimes even funny.” Dafna Izenberg, Maclean's
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“An indelible portrait of a man in grief….adds up to a portrait of grief that as haunting as it is elegant - and yet it somehow manages to crackle with energy at the same time.” Michael Hingston, Globe and Mail (Toronto)
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“Superb….Spectacularly moving and accomplished.” Julia Keller, Chicago Tribune
Synopsis
From Ross Raisin, the highly acclaimed author of Out Backward a debut novel Colm Toibin called compelling, disturbing and often very funny comes the moving and story of an ex-shipyard worker s journey of grief and reclamation in the wake of his wife s death. Lyrical and resonant, with echoes of Paul Harding s Tinkers and Anne Enright s The Gathering, Raisin s blue collar story of a man s fractured search for a new beginning is a powerfully voiced, penetratingly personal narrative of alienation and, ultimately, redemption. Ross Raisin confirms himself as an exciting talent, a unique, gifted, and generous voice, a young writer with a vision broad far beyond his years. David Vann, Financial Times"
Synopsis
Mick Little used to be a shipbuilder on the Glasgow yards. But as they closed one after another down the river, the search for work took him and his beloved wife, Cathy, to Australia, and back again, struggling for a living, longing for home. Thirty years later the yards are nearly all gone and Cathy is dead. And now Mick will have to find a new way to live: to get away, start again, and try to deal with the guilt he feels over her death.
With devastating vision, Ross Raisin brings to life the story of an ordinary man caught in the outer reaches of modern existence, suffering the loss of a great love. Waterline paints a captivating portrait of the alienation of lives lived quietly all around us, and of one mans existence dissolved through grief, and the long journey home.
About the Author
Ross Raisin is the author of Out Backward, winner of the Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year Award, a Betty Trask Award, and other honors. He lives in London.