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River Thievesby Michael Crummey
Synopses & ReviewsPublisher Comments:Set at the turn of the nineteenth century along Newfoundland?s rugged northeastern shore, River Thieves tells the tragic story of the extinction of the Beothuk, or Red Indians. The dramatic focus of the novel is the Peyton clan, their fiercely independent housekeeper, Cassie, and their hired hands, men who tend their trapping and fishing concerns. The tragedy of miscommunication and loss among these colonists living in a crude, violent age prefigures and in some sense is seen as the cause of the larger loss, that of an entire people.
When naval officer David Buchan arrives at the Bay of Exploits with orders to establish contact with the remnants of the Beothuk, he is filled with idealism and hope. But when he approaches the area?s most influential white settlers, the Peytons, for advice and assistance, he enters a world of complicated allegiances that he can only dimly comprehend. His closest ally, John Peyton Jr., maintains an uneasy balance between duty to his father — a domineering patriarch with a reputation as a ruthless persecutor of the Beothuk — and his troubled conscience. Cassie walks a precarious line of her own between the unspoken but obvious hopes of the younger Peyton and her loyalty to John Senior. When Buchan?s peace expedition into "Indian country" goes horribly awry, the rift between father and son deepens and begins to divide those closest to them. An enthralling story of passion and suspense, vividly set in the stark Newfoundland landscape and driven by an extraordinary cast of characters, River Thieves is a masterful debut that captures both the vast sweep of history and the intimate lives of those caught in its wake. Review:"A little-known historical atrocity...becomes an authentic tragedy in this brilliantly constructed, immensely moving debut novel....There's a literary renaissance underway just north of us, and Crummey's quite literally astonishing debut novel is one of the brightest jewels in its crown." Kirkus Reviews Review:"[P]owerful....Crummey's debut is elaborate, jumping back and forth in time to explicate the characters' complicated backstories. Although his technique is somewhat jarring at first, Crummey deftly weaves together the many threads of his story to present a complex portrait of conflict fueled by misunderstandings and the flaws of those caught in its web." Kristine Huntley, Booklist Review:"[P]oetic but ponderous....Crummey's story struggles to maintain momentum, dilating at length on the meaning and limitations of language....[G]ives rise to a panorama of Newfoundland history and mythology as carefully composed but as lifeless as a dusty museum diorama." Publishers Weekly Review:"This is a splendid novel reflective of a particular place and time. Michael Crummey is a tremendously gifted writer." Alistair MacLeod Synopsis:In a masterly debut, the award-winning poet and short-fiction writer Michael Crummey crafts a haunting novel set on the rugged coast of Newfoundland at the turn of the nineteenth century. Told in elegant, sensual prose, RIVER THIEVES Thieves is a richly imagined, historically provocative story about love, loss, and the heartbreaking compromises — both personal and political — that undermine lives.< BR> < BR> In 1810, David Buchan, a naval officer, arrives in the Bay of Exploits with orders to establish contact with the Beothuk, or Red Indians, the aboriginal inhabitants of Newfoundland, who are facing extinction. When Buchan approaches the area's most influential white settlers, the Peytons, for advice and assistance, he enters a shadowy world of allegiances and old grudges that he can only dimly apprehend. His closest ally, John Peyton Jr., maintains an uneasy balance between duty to his father — a domineering patriarch with a reputation as a ruthless persecutor of the Beothuk — and his troubled conscience. Cassie, the fiercely self-reliant and secretive woman who keeps the family house, walks a precarious line of her own between the unspoken but obvious hopes of the younger Peyton, her loyalty to John Senior, and a steadfast refusal to compromise her independence. When Buchan's peace expedition into Indian country goes awry, the rift between father and son deepens and begins to divide those closest to them.< BR> < BR> Years later, when a second expedition to the Beothuk's winter camp mounted by the Peytons leads to the kidnapping of an Indian woman and the murder of her husband, Buchan returns to investigate. As the officer attempts to uncover what reallyhappened at the Red Indians' lake, the delicate web of obligation and debt that holds together the Peyton household — and the community of settlers on the northeastern shore — slowly unravels.< BR> < BR> The tragedy of miscommunication and loss among these colonists living in a harsh environment in a crude, violent age prefigures and in some sense is seen as the cause of the more profound loss, that of an entire people. An enthralling story of great passion and suspense, vividly set in the stark Newfoundland landscape and driven by an extraordinary cast of characters, RIVER THIEVES captures both the vast sweep of history and the intimate lives of those caught in its wake. About the AuthorMichael Crummey was born in Buchans, Newfoundland, and grew up there and in Wabush, Labrador. He is the award-winning author of three books of poetry and a collection of short stories. River Thieves is his first novel. What Our Readers Are SayingAdd a comment for a chance to win!
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