MICHAEL CRUMMEY is an award-winning poet and storyteller. Crummey was born in Buchans, a mining town in the interior of Newfoundland. He is the bestselling author of four critically acclaimed novels, River Thieves, The Wreckage, Galore, and Sweetland, as well as five collections of poetry. His novels have won or been shortlisted for many prizes, including the Giller Prize, the Governor General's Literary Award, the Commonwealth Writers' Prize, and the International Dublin Literary Award, and his books have sold more than 225,000 copies in North America. He lives in St. John's, Newfoundland.
*Finalist for the 2019 Giller Prize, 2019 Governor General's
Literary Awards, & 2019 Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize*
“Imagine Into the Wild with prepubescents, told in the voice of a
William Blake acolyte as verbally inventive as Tolkien…The
Innocents is a survivor narrative and a psychological thriller, a
chilling study in isolation.”
—Hillary Kelly, Vulture
“Michael Crummey’s ravishing story is raw and intimate and will
break your heart.”
—People Magazine (Book of the Week)
“This is an extraordinary novel, emotionally precise, vivid in its
portrayal of nature, and subtle in its exploration of the
relationship between life and story.”
—Wall Street Journal
“Engrossing and beautifully written…A work of lyrical
naturalism dressed as an allegory.”
—Washington Post
“What begins as a gripping survival tale deepens into a
psychological inquiry into intimacy, conflict and what it
means to be alone together in the world…[a] harshly beautiful new
novel.”
—USA Today
“A gripping and credible page-turner about children surviving in
the wilderness, but more than that: this Adam and Eve struggle to
make sense of a world that’s somewhere between Eden and Hell.
Michael Crummey writes like an avenging angel, never putting a word
wrong.”
—Emma Donoghue, author of Room
"Michael Crummey’s The Innocents is a dazzling and myriad
achievement. Set against the unforgiving Newfoundland frontier,
this harrowing tale of two siblings eking out a teetering existence
is difficult to witness and impossible to put to down. But
what makes this story timeless is Crummey's rich depiction of the
human heart in extremis, the unflagging beat of life in a world
that is too much to bear. Set aside whatever you’re reading and
pick this up—The Innocents is a masterpiece."
—Smith Henderson, author of Fourth of July Creek
"Michael Crummey’s new novel The Innocents is a fantastic
read. Written in graceful and evocative prose, Ada and Evered's
story blurs the boundary between the quotidian and the strange
until it becomes a meditation on the curious fact of existence
itself. A wonderfully provocative and insightful book."
—Kevin Powers, author of Yellow Birds and A Shout in
the Ruins
“Few novels have cast their spell on me as deeply as The
Innocents. I am reminded of Dickens, not just the
nineteenth-century setting and the imperiled children, but the
artfulness: brilliant plot, unforgettable minor characters, perfect
pacing. Yet Michael Crummey’s poetic voice and landscape are his
own. The Innocents is brilliant.”
—Ron Rash, author of Serena
“Page-turning…An unusual, gripping period novel from a much-honored
Canadian writer.”
—Kirkus (starred review)
“The riveting story of an orphaned brother and sister whose
relationship is tested by hardship and isolation in 19th-century
coastal Labrador…A richly fashioned story told with great
sensitivity—one that is as credible as it is magical. The Innocents
reminds us of all the reasons we read—to understand, to imagine, to
find compassion and to witness the making of art.”
—BookPage (starred review)
“Heartfelt, extraordinary...Crummey delivers profound insight into
how individuals grapple with the forces of nature, not only in the
unpredictable environment, but in the mystifying interior of their
temperaments, drives, and character. This story of how two
guileless youngsters navigate life will have a deep emotional
impact on its readers.”
—Publishers Weekly
“A gorgeous portrait of remote Newfoundland of yesterday with a
remarkable story of human resilience at its core.”
—Booklist
"Moving...The relentless bleakness is alleviated by the cinematic
depiction of the surrounding wilderness, with Crummey’s prose
recalling that of Jim Crace in its strange, archaic terminology and
sense of timelessness.”
—Library Journal
"Inventive, dark, pathos-evoking, this sensitive novel of survival
and discovery asks just how far innocence stretches in a remote
cove of Newfoundland...This searing novel will keep readers
engrossed in its harsh world long after its hopeful
conclusion."
—Shelf Awareness
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