`Refreshing, even radical ... Blood Relatives could never be accused of being dull ... the novel's most eye-catching aspect is its language. Alcock captures not only the voice of his intelligent, happy-go-lucky protagonist, but also the heft and current of his local tongue' Guardian
`A challenging and fresh novel' Daily Mail
'An audacious and unpredictable novel, BLOOD RELATIVES is gutsy, gritty and gripping' Shortlist
`BLOOD RELATIVES is full of daring, authenticity and wit. It is a work of brutal, hilarious poetry whose portrait of a working-class England that is by turns bankrupt and picaresque ... It's hard to believe that Stevan Alcock's is a new voice, so confidently does it speak: what it says is original, funny, sometimes shocking, and true' Rachel Cusk
`A thrilling book, funny, poignant, dramatic, humane and fresh. Set during the time of the Ripper murders in Yorkshire, Alcock has written a debut novel of stunning narrative control and authenticity. Stevan Alcock is a wonderful find.' Alexander Masters, author of `Stuart: A Life Backwards'
`BLOOD RELATIVES is an unforgettable portrait of growing up in the late seventies, of living through the terror of the Yorkshire Ripper's murders and of trying to survive a family. This is great writing with fine, subtle and beautiful observations of character . You will be hooked by this terrific new voice' David Vann, author of `Legend of a Suicide', `Dirt' and `Goat Mountain'
`Written in a vibrant, colloquial tongue, BLOOD RELATIVES airs its secrets against a wider socio-political landscape of late 1970s Britain, where punk, gay liberation, the National Front and Thatcherism all play their part. Alcock's debut novel strikes both a brutal and brutally funny note' Wing magazine
`A fresh and funny coming-of-age novel' Big Issue
