Description
A richly evocative and compelling novel. The story of a Virginian family that must come to terms with their slave owning past as the Civil War approaches.
Spring 1855 and farmer John Dickinson has a dangerous secret that will have epic consequences. John’s reckless brother has squandered the family’s riches. Their enslaved workers have been visited by a Canadian abolitionist who throws the plantation into turmoil as one of the slaves makes a break for freedom.
Meanwhile, the Dickinson family become fugitives of another kind, escaping their financial losses in a wagon on their way to a new life in the West. Confronted by hunger, fear and a near fatal river boat accident, each member of the family is tested to their limits.
‘One of the finest historic novels in recent years’ National Post
‘An extraordinary novel…a beautiful and brilliant work of art.’ Madeleine Thien,
