SWEETLAND
The epic tale of an endangered Newfoundland community and the struggles of one man determined to resist its extinction.
The scarcely populated town of Sweetland rests on the shore of a remote Canadian island. Its slow decline finally reaches a head when the mainland government offers each islander a generous resettlement package—the sole stipulation being that everyone must leave. Fierce and enigmatic Moses Sweetland, whose ancestors founded the village, is the only one to refuse. As he watches his neighbors abandon the island, he recalls the town’s rugged history and its eccentric cast of characters. Evoking The Shipping News,
The epic tale of an endangered Newfoundland community and the struggles of one man determined to resist its extinction.
The scarcely populated town of Sweetland rests on the shore of a remote Canadian island. Its slow decline finally reaches a head when the mainland government offers each islander a generous resettlement package—the sole stipulation being that everyone must leave. Fierce and enigmatic Moses Sweetland, whose ancestors founded the village, is the only one to refuse. As he watches his neighbors abandon the island, he recalls the town’s rugged history and its eccentric cast of characters. Evoking The Shipping News, Michael Crummey—one of Canada’s finest novelists—conjures up the mythical, sublime world of Sweetland’s past amid a stormbattered landscape haunted by local lore. As in his critically acclaimed novel Galore, Crummey masterfully weaves together past and present, creating in Sweetland a spectacular portrait of one man’s battle to survive as his environment vanishes around him.
- Liveright Publishing Corporation
- Hardcover
- January 2015
- 336 Pages
- 9780871407900
Buy the Book
$24.95
About Michael Crummey
Michael Crummey is a poet and storyteller and the author of several critically acclaimed novels. His most recent book, Galore, won the Commonwealth Prize for Canada. He lives in St. John’s, Newfoundland.
Praise
“Masterful writing throughout.”— Minneapolis Star Tribune
“A slow-burning, ultimately moving story.”— New York Times
“Beautifully capturing the wild, rugged landscape, Crummey has written a novel about love for the land one is from.”
—VanityFair.com
“Sweetland is perhaps a perfect novel for book group discussions….It's also a powerful character study of an older, scarred but undefeated man, as well as a potent portrait of the land and people he adores….Brutality, humor, and beauty are on display throughout Sweetland, all couched in energetic prose that is both authentic and thoughtful, much like its protagonist.”
—BookBrowse