The Adversary: A Novel

Many families have close and loving ties. Other families have sibling relationships that are so adversarial that they become toxic. This novel is about one such brother and sister. They live in Newfoundland, which is a bleak and mournful setting appropriate for such a tale.

The Strapp relatives were born into wealth as a principal merchant family. But, traditionally, the wealth of the family is inherited by the son, even when the elder sister has more acumen for business. The sister is left to her own devices and marries a competitive merchant, thus inheriting his business and interests.

However, the rivalry between the siblings has been inherent in them both; they are ruthless, cunning, and savage in their trading and in relationship. Sadly, it is the poor servants and workers in this hard scrabble land who ultimately pay the price for the unholy alliance of the Strapp despots.

The author, Michael Crummey, is a very talented writer who vividly and chillingly describes the characters and forbidding place.