The Adversary
By (Author) Michael Crummey
Profile Books Ltd
Serpent's Tail
2nd December 2025
Main
United Kingdom
General
Fiction
Paperback
336
Width 128mm, Height 198mm, Spine 24mm
280g
WINNER OF THE DUBLIN LITERARY AWARD 'A vibrant historical novel... Potent' New Yorker, Books of the YearIn a remote Newfoundland port settlement, ruthless company man Abe Strapp is set to secure his dominance over the shore and its rich resources by marrying the daughter of a rival merchant - until the Widow Caines stands up in church and throws the wedding and Abe's plans into chaos. As the bitter feud between these two competitors - each determined to ruin the person they despise most - spirals further into vendetta and violence, the locals too are forced to take sides, with devastating consequences. A compulsive, exuberant and uncompromising historical adventure to equal Deadwood or The North Water, The Adversary is a wildly entertaining evocation of power, grievance and retribution.
Michael Crummey is an award-winning poet and novelist. He has published five poetry collections and the critically acclaimed novels The Innocents, River Thieves, The Wreckage, Galore and Sweetland. His novels have won or been shortlisted for numerous prizes internationally, including the Giller Prize and the Commonwealth Writers' Prize. The Adversary was a no. 1 bestseller in his native Canada and won the Dublin Literary Award. He lives in St John's, Newfoundland.