There were times while reading this book I debated whether to continue. The Adversary is full of quirky characters, debauchery, and violence yet also includes acts of kindness and a sense of community. Michael Crummy sets the book on the coast of Newfoundland, Canada during the early to mid-1800s. The main characters, Abe Stabb and a women known as The Widow, own the two major fish warehouses. Each provide for the salting, storage, and exporting of locally caught fish along with the importation of people and goods. Not only are they business adversaries, each has much different views of supporting and growing the community. Overall, the book is dark yet there were times that I laughed out loud.

The Adversary by Michael Crummy is not an easy read. The grim, dark, brutal story takes place in perhaps early 19th Century Mockbeggar, with the primary business being salted cod fisheries, on the coast of Newfoundland. The book follows the hatred and competition for control of the fisheries and related mercantile businesses between two siblings: Abe Strapp and the Widow. The author employs the unique language of the settlers and populates Mockbeggar and nearby Nonsuch with the Beadle, Matterface, Old Soot, the Duke of Limbs, Heater, and the Jerseyman. Despite the presence of the Church of England and a society of Quakers, the people are corrupt, soulless, conniving and mean-spirited. Because I love historical fiction and an author that uses words artfully in telling a tale, I am giving this book four stars. But, there is little positivity in The Adversary. Plague, amputations, scourging, retribution, piracy, graft, death, death and more death. Certainly not an uplifting book for the holiday season.

The Adversary, Canadian novelist Michael Crummey's latest, is historical fiction in the same vein as the work of Hawthorne and Melville. Set in a remote fishing village on the north coast of Newfoundland in the late 1700s, the novel is impressively atmospheric, as its characters inexorably catapult toward a seemingly predetermined collision. Big philosophical questions abound. A brother-sister rivalry opens and closes the novel, an aborted wedding, funerals galore and the entire local community as collateral damage. The specter of death hovers over every character. If personal animosity is not enough, the community suffers from disastrous weather, rampant hunger, pandemic-worthy disease, lack of medical care, outlaw justice, fluctuating catches, an economic system similar to indentured labor or tenant farming. ?It is hard to rate a book like this. While I did not relish reading it, I greatly admired Crummey's powers of description, his extensive use of local Newfoundland, sometimes even archaic language, and the dramatic insights into how people survive, for instance, with help from the local healer, an outlandish character I was always happy to see arrive.  Finally, I have to mention the amazing variety of sexual innuendo, attack and insult Crummey manages to preserve in this book, probably doubling my entire previous stock of such phrases. In fact, I actually had to laugh at some of them, despite the ambient horror.

For as dark as this book is, I found that I couldn't put it down. Set in an outpost in Newfoundland in the 1700s or 1800s (I never figured out the time period), it is primarily a story of sibling rivalry between two very powerful inhabitants. Because these two control most of the fishing industry/commerce in the area, the other inhabitants of the outpost are necessarily drawn into the feud; some willingly, but most unwillingly. There are vignettes about these characters as well and some are heartbreaking, but the focus is on the siblings. And they are both despicable, so you find yourself not really knowing who to root for in the battle. The book reads as if written in the 1700s/1800s, and the author uses many words unique to Newfoundland. The former took me several pages to become accustomed to, and I'm glad I had the patience to persevere because the particular writing style made the book all the better. The latter was a bit frustrating. If I could not figure out a word from context (e.g., slut lamp), I had to google it. I did a fair amount of googling. The Adversary is my first book by this author and I will likely read some of his other works.

Crummy writes with beautiful ability. I think anyone would love to read his description of the phone book. This was a bit sad no one is particularly likeable but good literature doesn’t require that.

The Writing:
The Adversary is a very well written book with clear, concise, clever, and sometimes even whimsical style. The author uses very vivid descriptions. While skillfully written, some of the more violent and brutal passages may be unsuitable for more sensitive readers.

I like the way the author uses the chapter titles to foreshadow what is to come in each chapter. And I found it engaging the way the author would present a scene or event only to leave the reader hanging, but then circle back to explain it later.

The Story:
The Storyline is well constructed, although it is a dark story showing the extreme lengths with which two adversaries will go in order to thwart one another. The story is full of cruelty, brutality, debauchery, revenge, as well as raucous and bawdy behavior. At times, the two main characters demonstrate extreme cruel, vindictive, and vengeful behavior.

On the lighter side, the story provides an in-dept description of life in a small fishing village in Newfoundland, and there is an interesting subplot regarding Quakers, as a minority, in Newfoundland. The author also uses interesting symbolism and quotes throughout the story.

While I did not find the story to be a mesmerizing, page turner, it does build to a climax toward the end and captivates the reader to stay with it to see what happens to the two adversaries, as well as the secondary characters.

I would not recommend this for my book club. Although it is very well written, I believe it may be too violent and brutal for a number of the book club members.

I have such mixed feelings about this book. The writing, particularly the descriptive language, is powerful, and the character development is superb. The characters, however, are despicable. There are three "Avengers" in the story, which is set in the early 18th century in the fictional town of Mockbeggar Newfoundland: Abe Strapp, a sort of "town boss, who is lazy, evil, and power hungry; his older sister the Widow Caines, a jealous old lady who would do anything to take her brother's place at the top of the pile; and the Beadle, a religious leader who sides with Abe but works also to enhance his own interests, making him entirely two-faced. These three are in constant opposition to one another, to the detriment of their small fishing community and the individuals who populate it. The story is full of death, sexual immorality (Abe owns a large brothel), back-stabbing and revenge. The book is completely unpleasant to read, and I finished it only because I had promised BookBrowse a review.

"There was an exuberant air of relief about the outports and plantations on the shore and the Christmas festivities in Mockbeggar resumed the tradition of dismal anarchy they were known for."

When reading the words put down by a poet one can be pretty sure each one is chosen with care. On this remote Newfoundland island voice and setting are melded. Whether it is a pledge, a commitment, or a threat, the words of these characters to and about one another are the backbone of this story as the harsh setting with its volatile weather creates the place. The Widow Caines and her deplorable brother Abe Strapp are the central characters in the dark and desolate island community as they fight to dominate one over the other.

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger could certainly be the motto of the small community of Mockbeggar and its inhabitants as well. This atmospheric tale will creep up on you in all sorts of unexpected ways. Difficult to describe in a few words, this story has some wonderfully despicable characters, some random humor, a powerful setting, and an incredibly capable writer. It's probably best suited for those who don't mind going a little off the beaten path.