The Mating Habits of Stags, Paperback

Midwinter. 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. On 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? As beauty and tenderness blend with violence, this story transports us to a different world, subtly exploring love and loss in a language that both bruises and heals.

Ray Robinson's debut novel, Electricity, was shortlisted for the James Tait Black Memorial Prize and the Authors' Club Best First Novel Award. The screen adaptation won Best Screenplay at the National Film Awards. The Mating Habits of Stags is based on a short film he wrote called Edith, starring Peter Mullan and Michelle Fairley.