Taylor is blisteringly good on systemic male violence against women, but <b><i>The Shore</i> is an inspiring read</b> rather than a bleak one,<b> full of compelling voices, vivid stories and memorable characters. It’s a great book.</b>

Sarah Waters

[A] remarkable first novel, an intricately plotted series of episodes in the life of two families ... A challenging family history of violence, murder, rape, castration and magic ... Taylor is <b>a terrific storyteller with a flawless narrative voice</b> and, as a portrait of the impoverished rural south, this novel is a real achievement ... There are ambitious experiments ...<b><i>The Shore</i> is a mesmerising, powerful read.</b>

The Times

<b>An exuberant talent</b> announces her arrival in this Baileys-nominated collection of interlinked stories touching on <b>murder, misogyny and morality</b> … To find the connections between stories, you have to follow names, places and even objects through 200 years of timeline … <b>It’s a strange but pleasurable way to read, an experience at once postmodern and childish </b>…The green, lush landscape, the oyster beds, insects and crabs, are evoked through so many eyes and felt by so many hands that we start to believe in their enduring existence, giving backbone and depth to the green politics of the book …<b>Taylor, it seems, can do dark realism as well as she can the magic kind – in fact, she seems able to do most things. This debut is a testament to an exuberant talent and an original, fearless sensibility. It’s also enormous fun to read.</b>

Guardian