In the latest instalment of 4th Estate’s regular video series RE4DINGS, we wanted to celebrate the paperback release of Stevan Alcock’s incredible debut novel Blood Relatives.
RE4DINGS looks to introduce viewers to the enthralling personalities behind the books we publish, and this edition is no different. Stevan’s rendition of the opening section of his novel captures perfectly the mix of nostalgia and stark, gruesome violence that permeates his writing. And he delivers it all with that unique voice: a Yorkshire lilt, as refreshing as a can of Corona cream soda. Read more…
Name: Stevan Alcock
Occupation: Writer, editor and translator
Book: Blood Relatives
What’s it about: Leeds, late 1975 and a body has been found on Prince Philip Playing Fields. Ricky, teenage delivery van boy for Corona pop, will be late for The Matterhorn Man. In the years that follow until his capture, the Yorkshire Ripper and Rick’s own life draw ever closer with unforeseen consequences. Set in a time in England’s history of upheaval and change – both personal and social – this is a story told in an unforgettable voice.
Why we’re excited: Not only is Blood Relatives written in a startlingly unique and transfixing dialect, the setting offers a completely separate, parallel account of the Yorkshire Ripper murders. The resulting tension that supports an already astonishing narrative is surely the reason why Alexander Masters, proponent of the uncanny within the real, called Blood Relatives ‘Thrilling, poignant and fresh’. Read more…
