In 1903, a mysterious, desperate young woman flees alone across the icy western wilderness of the Rocky Mountains. Her name is Mary Boulton. Bloodhounds track her through the trees. She is nineteen years old. Half mad. Already a widow - by her own hand. Pursued by two relentless and vengeful brothers, Mary is forced to flee ever deeper into the mountains and away from civilisation, into the darkness of her own memory. Along the way, she meets an unforgettable collection of rogues, guardian angels and eccentrics, who offer support, only to reveal that they too have their own demons raging inside. As Mary is plunged further away from civilisation, her path from retribution to redemption slowly unfolds. A startling transformation of the classic western narrative, The Outlander is the haunting tale of one young woman's deliberate journey deep into the wild.
In 1903, a mysterious, desperate young woman flees alone across the icy western wilderness of the Rocky Mountains. Her name is Mary Boulton. Bloodhounds track her through the trees. She is nineteen years old. Half mad. Already a widow - by her own hand. Pursued by two relentless and vengeful brothers, Mary is forced to flee ever deeper into the mountains and away from civilisation, into the darkness of her own memory. Along the way, she meets an unforgettable collection of rogues, guardian angels and eccentrics, who offer support, only to reveal that they too have their own demons raging inside. As Mary is plunged further away from civilisation, her path from retribution to redemption slowly unfolds. A startling transformation of the classic western narrative, The Outlander is the haunting tale of one young woman's deliberate journey deep into the wild.
Gil Adamson's acclaimed short fiction and poetry has been widely published in magazines and literary journals. Her two poetry books (Primitive, 1991 and Ashland, 2003) and her collection of short stories Help Me, Jacques Cousteau (1997) received rave reviews. The Outlander is Adamson's first novel. She lives with fellow writer Kevin Connolly in Toronto.
Set in 1903, Adamson's compelling debut tells the wintry tale of 19-year-old Mary Boulton ("[w]idowed by her own hand") and her frantic odyssey across Idaho and Montana. The details of Boulton's sad past-an unhappy marriage, a dead child, crippling depression-slowly emerge as she reluctantly ventures into the mountains, struggling to put distance between herself and her two vicious brothers-in-law, who track her like prey in retaliation for her killing of their kin. Boulton's journey and ultimate liberation-made all the more captivating by the delirium that runs in the recesses of her mind-speaks to the resilience of the female spirit in the early part of the last century. Lean prose, full-bodied characterization, memorable settings and scenes of hardship all lift this book above the pack. Already established as a writer of poetry (Ashland) and short stories (Help Me, Jacques Cousteau), Adamson also shines as novelist. (Apr.) Copyright 2008 Reed Business Information.
Canadian poet and short fiction writer Adamson (Ashland), a 2007 Hammett Prize nominee, has shaped a picaresque tale in the style of Charles Frazier's Cold Mountain. Set in 1903, it reveals Mary Boulton's life with her cruel husband, John, in jagged flashbacks reflecting her sporadic delirium from hunger and the harsh elements. After their sickly newborn son dies, Mary takes the only way out she knows: she kills John with his hunting rifle and escapes West, with John's two angry brothers in pursuit. Various eccentrics help her along her harrowing journey, including William Moreland, a rough mountain man who eventually leaves her to return to the wilderness. Mary barely survives until a Crow Indian finds and takes her to a nearby mining town, where she recuperates. The brothers eventually track her down there, arriving just after a calamitous landslide. Authentic historical details, a strong female character running for her life, and a murder-driven plot will appeal to fiction readers in all public libraries. Highly recommended.--Donna Bettencourt, Mesa Cty. P.L., Grand Junction, CO Copyright 2008 Reed Business Information.
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