OXBLOOD

A blistering portrait of a family on fire, laying bare the desperation of poverty, the exile of grief, and the redemptive powers of love.

‘An extraordinary book that delivers constantly at the level of the line. It's full of miraculous phrasing and detail, brilliant dialogue, and satisfying clicks as the structure locks into place A fully-rewarding literary experience.' — Andrew Cowan, author of PIG and YOUR FAULT

Wythenshawe, South Manchester. 1985. The Dodds family once ruled Manchester's underworld; now the men are dead, leaving three generations of women trapped in a house haunted by violence, harbouring an unregistered baby. Matriarch Nedra presides over the household, which bustles with activity as she prepares the welcome feast for her grandson Kelly's return from prison. Her grieving daughter-in-law Carol is visited by both the welcome, intimate ghost of her murdered lover, and by Mac, an ageing criminal enforcer, a man who may just offer her a real and possible future. And then there is Jan - the teenage tearaway running as fast as she can from her mother, her grandmother, and her own unnamed baby. Over the course of a few days, the Dodds women must each confront the true legacy of the men who have defined their lives; and seize the opportunity to break the cycle for good. A blistering portrait of a family on fire, Oxblood lays bare the horror of violence, the exile of grief, and the extraordinary power of love.

Tom Benn is an author, screenwriter and lecturer from Stockport, England. His first novel, THE DOLL PRINCESS, was shortlisted for the Dylan Thomas Prize and the Portico Prize, longlisted for the CWA's John Creasey Dagger, and was The Daily Mirror's Book of the Week. His other novels are CHAMBER MUSIC (Cape) and TROUBLE MAN (Cape).
He won runner-up prize in the 2019 International Desperate Literature Prize for Short Fiction. His creative nonfiction has appeared in The Paris Review Daily and he won the BFI's iWrite scheme for emerging screenwriters. His first film Real Gods Require Blood premiered in competition at the Cannes Film Festival, and was nominated for Best Short Film at the BFI London Film Festival.

Praise for Tom Benn's Henry Bane novels:

‘A sharply observant writer with a great eye for detail.' — Laura Wilson, The Guardian

‘Depicts the criminal underbelly of Manchester with force and style. Good story, superior characterisation, convincingly bleak atmosphere.' — Marcel Berlins, The Times

‘It's the characters, and the potent, nebulous air they breathe — so brilliantly evoked by a writer who atomises reality, turning speech into riveting rap — that keeps us hypnotically immersed. It's so good, I almost forgot to breathe.' — Tom Adair, The Scotsman

‘This punchy debut does for low-life Manchester what ‘Trainspotting' did for Leith, Edinburgh spliced with stretches of prose filled with arresting imagery, and infused with a strange nostalgia.' – Maggie Fergusson, Intelligent Life

‘Frenetic page-turning tension and mystery... Sometimes nasty, sometimes funny, sometimes knowing in its comment about the rampant misogyny that pervades the underworld. It's a great read.' – Nikesh Shukla