In an isolated outpost on Newfoundland's northern coastline, Abe Strapp is about to marry the daughter of a rival merchant to cement his power. But a ruthless act of sabotage by his nemesis, the Widow Caines, becomes the opening salvo in a battle between the most powerful man and woman in Mockbeggar, each fighting for the scarce resources of the North Atlantic, each seeking a measure of revenge on the person they despise most in the world.
As their unshakable animosity spirals further into vendettas and violence, even the innocents of the town are forced to take sides. Through predatory storms and marauding privateers, it is the human heart that reveals itself to be the most formidable and unpredictable adversary for each person drawn into the feud. An extraordinary achievement from one of North America's greatest living writers, The Adversary offers a shadowed mirror to our times, where the naked pursuit of power threatens the very foundations of our lives and communities.
In an isolated outpost on Newfoundland's northern coastline, Abe Strapp is about to marry the daughter of a rival merchant to cement his power. But a ruthless act of sabotage by his nemesis, the Widow Caines, becomes the opening salvo in a battle between the most powerful man and woman in Mockbeggar, each fighting for the scarce resources of the North Atlantic, each seeking a measure of revenge on the person they despise most in the world.
As their unshakable animosity spirals further into vendettas and violence, even the innocents of the town are forced to take sides. Through predatory storms and marauding privateers, it is the human heart that reveals itself to be the most formidable and unpredictable adversary for each person drawn into the feud. An extraordinary achievement from one of North America's greatest living writers, The Adversary offers a shadowed mirror to our times, where the naked pursuit of power threatens the very foundations of our lives and communities.