{"product_id":"the-mating-habits-of-stags1","title":"The Mating Habits of Stags","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"short-review w-richtext\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e‘Poetic and powerfully brutal...a one-off’ \u003cem\u003eThe Times\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSHORTLISTED: Portico Prize\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMidwinter. 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOn 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?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Mating Habits of Stags\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eis a journey through a life of guilt and things unsaid – and as beauty and tenderness blend with violence, Robinson transports us to a different world, subtly exploring love and loss in a language that both bruises and heals.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAn early version of the story was released in 2016 as the short film\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eEdith\u003c\/em\u003e, starring Peter Mullan and Michelle Fairley, which was Bafta-longlisted for Best British Short Film.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e’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’ \u003cstrong\u003eRobbie Millen, \u003cem\u003eThe Times\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e‘A taut, spare story of survival that turns on its heel to become something altogether braver, rarer and more precious’ \u003cstrong\u003eMelissa Harrison\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e‘A wonderfully empathetic account...full of candour, lyricism and compassion’\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e The Spectator\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e‘Rich, compelling stuff’ \u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMetro\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e‘A stunning novel. Ray Robinson is a wonderful writer. Raw, lyrical, and intensely moving’ \u003cstrong\u003eEssie Fox\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e‘This extraordinary novel gets under the skin from the first paragraph. Hope and humanity emerge against the odds in a bittersweet and starkly beautiful tale that lingers long in the memory’\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003cem\u003eYorkshire Post\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch6\u003ePaperback: 224pp\u003c\/h6\u003e\n\u003ch6\u003ePublished: Lightning (April 2020)\u003c\/h6\u003e\n\u003ch6\u003eISBN: 9781785631382\u003c\/h6\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Eye Books Store","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":56900628447616,"sku":null,"price":8.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"Hardback","offer_id":56900628480384,"sku":null,"price":14.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1271\/4023\/products\/9781785631382.jpg?v=1582284451","url":"https:\/\/www.eyebooksgroup.com\/products\/the-mating-habits-of-stags1","provider":"Eye Books Group","version":"1.0","type":"link"}