An Olive Grove in Ends

What struck me most forcibly about An Olive Grove in Ends was the poetic strength and majesty of its prose - as the author himself might have it, ‘like clarified honey’. From an author of such tender years - he is yet but twenty-two - this consummately crafted work can only be a harbinger of a stellar and truly significant career. I urge you to read it – Patrick McCabe, author of THE BUTCHER BOY
[An Olive Grove in Ends] is magnificent. Moses’ talent is off the scale. I’ve been in a bit of a reading slump lately and it’s a long time since a novel gripped me so tightly … This is a phenomenally good novel, tense and thrilling and complex, with breath-stealing moments on every page. And the language. Oh, man. – Donal Ryan, author of THE SPINNING HEART
An Olive Grove in Ends chronicles the hard graft and grit of ghetto life in a poignant coming-of-age story rendered in the crackling song of a multi-ethnic UK street. McKenzie offers a rare glimpse into the harsh realities of street life and love in luminous prose, rendered with sensitivity and without sentimentalism. An astonishing debut novel about which I’ll be talking to everyone! – Cherie Jones, author of HOW THE ONE-ARMED SISTER SWEEPS HER HOUSE
His engrossing first-person narrative, lyrical and slangy by turns, is the vehicle for a tough yet tender story of faith and friendship, as well as money, knife crime and the failings of the British education system * Observer New Review, 10 Best Debut Novelists of 2022 *
A remarkable debut, bristling with sharp prose and daring originality. Moses McKenzie offers us a fascinating glimpse into the vibrant world of Ends, whose colourful inhabitants - Sayon in particular - will linger with readers long after the novel comes to a close. – Nathan Harris, author of THE SWEETNESS OF WATER
Incredible. The story is completely gripping and expertly paced, the characterisation is rounded and complex, especially the different relationships between characters. I’m in awe of how fully the nuances of the relationships come through in such small details that speak large. And the language - oh my - what an impressive range of registers Moses hits with such beauty in the lyrical bits, such music in the dialogue, and such efficiency throughout. Zero fluff. – Melissa Fu, author of PEACH BLOSSOM SPRING
A remarkable debut full of wisdom. – Ian Parker * iPaper *

Moses McKenzie is of Caribbean descent and grew up in Bristol, where his first two novels are set. His debut novel, An Olive Grove in Ends, which Moses wrote at the age of twenty-one, won the prestigious Hawthornden Prize for Literature in 2023; it was also listed as a Guardian Novel of the Year 2022 and shortlisted for the Writers’ Guild Best First Novel Award 2023. Moses was named one of The Observer’s 10 Must-Read Debut Novelists of 2022, and won the inaugural Soho House Breakthrough Writer Award the same year. He is currently working on the TV adaptation of An Olive Grove in Ends. His second novel, Fast by the Horns, was published in May 2024.

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