Beautifully Crafted
By Helena / Spinebreakers Crew
God's Own Country is one of the more unsettling books I have read in a while. It tells the story of nineteen-year-old Sam Marsdyke, living on his parents' farm on the Yorkshire Moors. It's a way of life that's dying out as more and more 'towns' move in, drinking in chain pubs and keeping sheepdogs as cuddly pets, but Sam seems just as disillusioned and resentful towards them as the locals. In fact, as an outcast from his community, his presence greeted with laughter, jeers and occasionally fear, his chance to find someone he can bond with comes when a new family move into a nearby farmstead from London. Their teenage daughter Josephine is finally someone who doesn't have any knowledge of Sam's past, and who shares his sense of loneliness. Tentatively, the two of them become friends and find a way to escape the world around them.
The story is told entirely as Sam's internal monologue - not even using direct speech - so it's not long before you are drawn into his way of thinking. The book flows brilliantly; I was carried away, as unaware that things are going to go horribly wrong as Sam is until it actually happens. This is where the tone changes: Sam still hasn't realised and the end third or so of the book is spent feeling as if you're trapped in his mind, powerless to help and desperately hoping that he'll wake up in time for the story to end well, even once you know there's no chance of it happening.
Ross Raisin, the author, uses language to great effect - Sam's monologue is peppered with Yorkshire dialect, lending the book a coded feel, which along with the young male antihero, reminded me of some sort of strange rural A Clockwork Orange. Additionally, his way of speaking is often telling of his personality: one of the most striking parts of the book is hearing Sam talk about couples 'breeding' in the same way as he does the sheep on his farm.
The interesting thing, though, is that he doesn't just view humans as animalistic and simple, rather, he notices and respects the complexity of the animal kingdom, associating with them and their trust for him maybe more strongly than the humans who have continually alienated and shunned him. On the farm, he engages in mental conversation with the animals as he helps them go about their lives, showing how much of Sam's life he copes with by making it subtle fantasy. In some ways, Sam is childlike, but with a cynicism and knowledge of the world that makes him a unique, disturbing protagonist.
God's Own Country is a beautifully crafted, moves smoothly and manages to be quietly disturbing without feeling extreme. I'd recommend it to anyone seeking a challenging, dark and original read.