Away: A Novel

摘要: Esther O'Malley Robertson gazes out at Lake Ontario from her home for perhaps the last time. This house, highly charged with memories and history, is part of a landscape that now being swallowed by industry. The story family's past has its beginnings in 1840s off northern coast Ireland, where young woman embraced semiconscious sailor who had washed tide, later, husband son, fled famine Canada. Jane Urquhart imbues shimmering clarity as she takes us harsh Irish to quarantine stations Grosse Isle barely hospitable land Canadian Shield; flourishing town Port Hope flooded streets Montreal; Ottawa large-windowed house edge Great Lake. characters inhabit world this novel include Liam O'Malley, down-to-earth, first-generation Irish-Canadian farmer; his sister, Eileen, whose passionate idealism involves her, unwillingly, devastating act betrayal; eccentric Sedgewick brothers, Anglo-Irish landlords tinker science, art, poetry; Exodus Crow, an extraordinary individual mixed native blood; Thomas Doherty, man known wind machines ability charm skunks; Aidan Lanighan, charismatic nationalist obsessive interest D'Arcy McGee; Mary unusual love leads strange but inevitable fate new land. Away graceful moving unites personal political explores most private, often darkest corners our emotions things root ourselves endure. Written sensuous, evocativeprose, will confirm one accomplished novelists day.