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The Innocents
From prizewinning author Michael Crummey comes a spellbinding story of survival in which a brother and sister confront the limits of human endurance and their own capacity for loyalty and forgiveness.
A brother and sister are orphaned in an isolated cove on Newfoundland's northern coastline. Their home is a stretch of rocky shore governed by the feral ocean, by a relentless pendulum of abundance and murderous scarcity. Still children with only the barest notion of the outside world, they have nothing but the family's boat and the little knowledge passed on haphazardly by their mother and father to keep them.
Muddling though the severe round of the seasons, through years of meagre catches and storms and ravaging illness, it is their fierce loyalty to each other that motivates and sustains them. But as seasons pass and they wade deeper into the mystery of their own natures, even that loyalty will be tested.
The Innocents is richly imagined and compulsively readable, a riveting story of hardship and survival, and an unflinching exploration of the bond between brother and sister. By turns electrifying and heartbreaking, it is a testament to the bounty and barbarity of the world, to the wonders and strangeness of our individual selves.
A brother and sister are orphaned in an isolated cove on Newfoundland's northern coastline. Their home is a stretch of rocky shore governed by the feral ocean, by a relentless pendulum of abundance and murderous scarcity. Still children with only the barest notion of the outside world, they have nothing but the family's boat and the little knowledge passed on haphazardly by their mother and father to keep them.
Muddling though the severe round of the seasons, through years of meagre catches and storms and ravaging illness, it is their fierce loyalty to each other that motivates and sustains them. But as seasons pass and they wade deeper into the mystery of their own natures, even that loyalty will be tested.
The Innocents is richly imagined and compulsively readable, a riveting story of hardship and survival, and an unflinching exploration of the bond between brother and sister. By turns electrifying and heartbreaking, it is a testament to the bounty and barbarity of the world, to the wonders and strangeness of our individual selves.
293 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 27, 2019
About the author
Michael Crummey
23 books880 followersBorn in Buchans, Newfoundland, Crummey grew up there and in Wabush, Labrador, where he moved with his family in the late 1970s. He went to university with no idea what to do with his life and, to make matters worse, started writing poems in his first year. Just before graduating with a BA in English he won the Gregory Power Poetry Award. First prize was three hundred dollars (big bucks back in 1987) and it gave him the mistaken impression there was money to be made in poetry.
He published a slender collection of poems called Arguments with Gravity in 1996, followed two years later by Hard Light. 1998 also saw the publication of a collection of short stories, Flesh and Blood, and Crummey's nomination for the Journey Prize.
Crummey's debut novel, River Thieves (2001) was a Canadian bestseller, winning the Thomas Head Raddall Award and the Winterset Award for Excellence in Newfoundland Writing. It was also shortlisted for the Giller Prize, the Commonwealth Writers' Prize, the Books in Canada First Novel Award, and the IMPAC Award. His second novel, The Wreckage (2005), was nominated for the Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize and longlisted for the 2007 IMPAC Award.
Galore was published in Canada in 2009. A national bestseller, it was the winner of the Commonwealth Writers' Prize for Best Book (Canada & Caribbean), the Canadian Authors' Association Fiction Prize and was shortlisted for the Governor-General's Award for fiction.
He lives in St. John's, Newfoundland with his wife and three step-kids.
He published a slender collection of poems called Arguments with Gravity in 1996, followed two years later by Hard Light. 1998 also saw the publication of a collection of short stories, Flesh and Blood, and Crummey's nomination for the Journey Prize.
Crummey's debut novel, River Thieves (2001) was a Canadian bestseller, winning the Thomas Head Raddall Award and the Winterset Award for Excellence in Newfoundland Writing. It was also shortlisted for the Giller Prize, the Commonwealth Writers' Prize, the Books in Canada First Novel Award, and the IMPAC Award. His second novel, The Wreckage (2005), was nominated for the Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize and longlisted for the 2007 IMPAC Award.
Galore was published in Canada in 2009. A national bestseller, it was the winner of the Commonwealth Writers' Prize for Best Book (Canada & Caribbean), the Canadian Authors' Association Fiction Prize and was shortlisted for the Governor-General's Award for fiction.
He lives in St. John's, Newfoundland with his wife and three step-kids.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,238 reviews
October 31, 2019
Ava was ten, her brother twelve, when her less than a year old baby sister died. Their mother and father took sick and soon followed. The family has lived an isolated life in a secluded New Toy Diane cove, their access to people restricted to the elderly woman who came to help her mother during the birthing. Now they were truly alone. Alone but not helpless having helped their parents in their daily lives. Fishing for for, trading with a ship that came once a year, the bartered for the supplies they needed to see them through the winter. Life was far from easy but they fou d joy in small things, small treasures found on the shoreline, berry picking. A few others would make their way to the cove, introducing them to some examples of the world outside their cove.
A quiet novel, with a slow pace, but one that gives the reader beautiful descriptions of cove, and nature. It did go to a place that made me a little uncomfortable, but the story and their life, p!us the title, reminded me that these tow knew little, were innocent in some ways, and had no one else. A story that I not only read, but felt inside, hope these two would prosper, find a life that in the future would fit. There is just something about these quiet, but meaningful novels that for ne, never fail to appeal. I loved these characters, struggled with them and wished they had found a different way. They did though, the best with what they knew, and what they had. How could that be looked down on?
"She went through the other contents of her shelf, culling the shells and rocks and feathers that had lost their lustre, objects that had once possessed a hint of magic or beauty or mystery and now seemed merely ordinary. It was confounding to see magic and beauty and mystery Leach out of a thing, to think it could be used up like a store of winter supplies."
"Pleasure and shame. Shame and pleasure. These were the world's currencies. And itbpaid out both in equal measure."
ARC from Edelweiss.
A quiet novel, with a slow pace, but one that gives the reader beautiful descriptions of cove, and nature. It did go to a place that made me a little uncomfortable, but the story and their life, p!us the title, reminded me that these tow knew little, were innocent in some ways, and had no one else. A story that I not only read, but felt inside, hope these two would prosper, find a life that in the future would fit. There is just something about these quiet, but meaningful novels that for ne, never fail to appeal. I loved these characters, struggled with them and wished they had found a different way. They did though, the best with what they knew, and what they had. How could that be looked down on?
"She went through the other contents of her shelf, culling the shells and rocks and feathers that had lost their lustre, objects that had once possessed a hint of magic or beauty or mystery and now seemed merely ordinary. It was confounding to see magic and beauty and mystery Leach out of a thing, to think it could be used up like a store of winter supplies."
"Pleasure and shame. Shame and pleasure. These were the world's currencies. And itbpaid out both in equal measure."
ARC from Edelweiss.
July 23, 2023
Why I chose to read this book:
1. I must have seen this one on GR, and being a Canadian author that I'm unfamiliar with, and the intriguing premise of two orphaned siblings struggling to survive in northern Newfoundland during the late 1700s, led me to add it to my WTR list; and,
2. July 2023 is my self-appointed "O' Canada Month"!
Praises:
1. they don't call Newfoundland "the rock" for nothing! Even the Vikings didn't stick around for long! Author Michael Crummey expertly set an atmospheric mood in this cold, bleak and dreary setting. Rarely any lighthearted moments found in this story, and very few interactions with others as these siblings constantly work - on land and at sea - with essentially no childhood to speak of as they brave the unpredictability of nature, year after year;
2. MCs Ada and Evered - almost immediately I noticed that their names were eerily similar to Adam and Eve. Was the cove like Paradise for them? How else to explain why they insisted on living there alone, rather than accepting the help and company of others? Even Captain Truss makes a reference to Genesis when he tells Evered, "Who told thee that thou wast naked?"
Yes, I did have some sympathy for their overall predicament. Did I find them likeable? No. But I did find them believable.
As the years passed, their individual tensions that inevitably led to their incestual coupling; well, that was bound to happen. Interestingly enough, though, their feelings of regret, guilt, and shame strongly indicate that they knew what they did was wrong and can never go back to the kindred relationship they once shared;
3. I never expected but was pleasantly surprised how Crummey delicately revealed some mysterious back stories that rippled out to affect these children; and,
4. Crummey's use of local vernacular was authentic but not overpowering.
Niggles:
1. although a scene involving a bear cub was disturbing, I understood its significance to Ada. Sad to say, but ugly things do happen; and,
2. Crummey seemed really intent on sharing lurid details during Evered's frequent masturbation episodes - just YUCK!
Overall Thoughts:
Even though Ada and Evered knew little of the outside world, this story was much more realistic than The Swiss Family Robinson! Those Robinson boys never had to deal with their raging hormones! 😂
This is a well-written story about loyalty, survival, temptation, and regret. I do own Crummey's debut novel River Thieves which I intend to read in the future.
1. I must have seen this one on GR, and being a Canadian author that I'm unfamiliar with, and the intriguing premise of two orphaned siblings struggling to survive in northern Newfoundland during the late 1700s, led me to add it to my WTR list; and,
2. July 2023 is my self-appointed "O' Canada Month"!
Praises:
1. they don't call Newfoundland "the rock" for nothing! Even the Vikings didn't stick around for long! Author Michael Crummey expertly set an atmospheric mood in this cold, bleak and dreary setting. Rarely any lighthearted moments found in this story, and very few interactions with others as these siblings constantly work - on land and at sea - with essentially no childhood to speak of as they brave the unpredictability of nature, year after year;
2. MCs Ada and Evered - almost immediately I noticed that their names were eerily similar to Adam and Eve. Was the cove like Paradise for them? How else to explain why they insisted on living there alone, rather than accepting the help and company of others? Even Captain Truss makes a reference to Genesis when he tells Evered, "Who told thee that thou wast naked?"
Yes, I did have some sympathy for their overall predicament. Did I find them likeable? No. But I did find them believable.
As the years passed, their individual tensions that inevitably led to their incestual coupling; well, that was bound to happen. Interestingly enough, though, their feelings of regret, guilt, and shame strongly indicate that they knew what they did was wrong and can never go back to the kindred relationship they once shared;
3. I never expected but was pleasantly surprised how Crummey delicately revealed some mysterious back stories that rippled out to affect these children; and,
4. Crummey's use of local vernacular was authentic but not overpowering.
Niggles:
1. although a scene involving a bear cub was disturbing, I understood its significance to Ada. Sad to say, but ugly things do happen; and,
2. Crummey seemed really intent on sharing lurid details during Evered's frequent masturbation episodes - just YUCK!
Overall Thoughts:
Even though Ada and Evered knew little of the outside world, this story was much more realistic than The Swiss Family Robinson! Those Robinson boys never had to deal with their raging hormones! 😂
This is a well-written story about loyalty, survival, temptation, and regret. I do own Crummey's debut novel River Thieves which I intend to read in the future.
October 19, 2019
The Innocents: Shortlisted for the 3 major literary awards of 2019: The Giller Prize, The Governor General’s Awards, and the. Rogers Writers Trust Prize.
There is much to admire in Michael Crummey’s writing. He masterfully evokes a time and place which is set in the harsh, isolated world of northern Newfoundland, probably in the early 1800s. It is an inhospitable environment. The desolate area overlooks an often dangerous, raging sea where months-long ice fields trap boats, and winters are long with frequent snowstorms. The shoreline is hard and rocky, and summers short for growing crops. The author brilliantly describes this rough landscape and impoverished living conditions. The use of obscure and archaic Newfoundland words and expressions made the story sound authentic.
As much as I admire the writing style and the vivid sense of place, I regret to say that this was a grim and dismal read for me. There was much misery and I felt uncomfortable reading the book. The story moved at a languid pace which is as expected when describing days of chores and drudgery with not much else going on. I realize I am in the minority here, but I found it slow-moving and gloomy. I have enjoyed the author’s past books, Galore and Sweetwater.
A young brother and sister, Evered and Ada, aged approximately 12 and 10, are left entirely alone after the deaths of their mother, father and baby sister. They have no awareness or access to the outside world, and lack skills and information which would help in their survival. They have never had any education. Their only contact with others is when a supply ship arrives twice yearly. It brings provisions in trade for fish and furs. The youngsters have inherited their father’s debt. The brother and sister are protective of each other. They are resilient and determined to survive, if unlikely to thrive.
With his father’s fishing boat Evered brings fish to the supply vessel, but it is never considered sufficient and returns to their cold, dirt-floored shack with meagre supplies. Later in addition to codfish, he trades furs after having learned to hunt and trap. This is never enough to free themselves from debt. In the meantime, Ada tends the garden, picks berries and makes jam. The years pass by without relief from their dreary existence. There is temptation when they begin to have sexual feelings for each other due to their isolation from other people. They lack understanding but are burdened with plenty of confusion, ignorance, and guilt.
The ending is bleak and inconclusive, but with some hope of a better future for ‘The Innocents’.
There is much to admire in Michael Crummey’s writing. He masterfully evokes a time and place which is set in the harsh, isolated world of northern Newfoundland, probably in the early 1800s. It is an inhospitable environment. The desolate area overlooks an often dangerous, raging sea where months-long ice fields trap boats, and winters are long with frequent snowstorms. The shoreline is hard and rocky, and summers short for growing crops. The author brilliantly describes this rough landscape and impoverished living conditions. The use of obscure and archaic Newfoundland words and expressions made the story sound authentic.
As much as I admire the writing style and the vivid sense of place, I regret to say that this was a grim and dismal read for me. There was much misery and I felt uncomfortable reading the book. The story moved at a languid pace which is as expected when describing days of chores and drudgery with not much else going on. I realize I am in the minority here, but I found it slow-moving and gloomy. I have enjoyed the author’s past books, Galore and Sweetwater.
A young brother and sister, Evered and Ada, aged approximately 12 and 10, are left entirely alone after the deaths of their mother, father and baby sister. They have no awareness or access to the outside world, and lack skills and information which would help in their survival. They have never had any education. Their only contact with others is when a supply ship arrives twice yearly. It brings provisions in trade for fish and furs. The youngsters have inherited their father’s debt. The brother and sister are protective of each other. They are resilient and determined to survive, if unlikely to thrive.
With his father’s fishing boat Evered brings fish to the supply vessel, but it is never considered sufficient and returns to their cold, dirt-floored shack with meagre supplies. Later in addition to codfish, he trades furs after having learned to hunt and trap. This is never enough to free themselves from debt. In the meantime, Ada tends the garden, picks berries and makes jam. The years pass by without relief from their dreary existence. There is temptation when they begin to have sexual feelings for each other due to their isolation from other people. They lack understanding but are burdened with plenty of confusion, ignorance, and guilt.
The ending is bleak and inconclusive, but with some hope of a better future for ‘The Innocents’.
July 12, 2019
They were left together in the cove then with its dirt-floored stud tilt, with its garden of root vegetables and its scatter of outbuildings, with its looming circle of hills and rattling brook and its view of the ocean's grey expanse beyond the harbour skerries. The cove was the heart and sum of all creation in their eyes and they were alone there with the little knowledge of the world passed on haphazard and gleaned by chance.
I love when an ARC opens with a note from the book's editor, giving some insider bit of info, and The Innocents begins with, “Years ago, in the archives, Michael Crummey found mention of a late eighteenth-century clergyman who had happened upon an adolescent brother and sister living all alone in an isolated cove off the northern coast of Newfoundland. When the clergyman approached the siblings to inquire into their circumstances, into how they were managing to survive, he was driven off the cove by the boy at gunpoint. The implications of that encounter would stay with Michael and eventually inspire The Innocents. In March of 2018, there were 1,500 words; by July, there were 90,000. I can't help but think the intensity of the novel's creation is reflected in the thing itself.” I quote Martha Kanya-Forstner at length here because that's all a prospective reader really needs to know: From the merest suggestion of a plot situation, Michael Crummey has dreamed up two fully-formed characters, bound by blood and the desperate quest for survival for which their parents never dreamed they'd so soon need to be fully prepared, and by richly describing their daily labour, and throwing in intermittent visits from outsiders that expand the siblings' understanding of the wider world, Crummey does right by history, literature, and the exploration of humanity. It's all here and it's all good. (Note: As I did read an ARC, passages quoted may not be in their final forms.)
Evered and Ada Best were approaching twelve and eleven, as near as it can be reckoned, when some illness carried off their parents one winter. (The parents are present for just enough at the beginning of the story to show what kind of world these children were raised in and to underline just what they lost.) All the two know of their circumstances is that every spring their father would row out to a schooner that anchors at the mouth of their cove to pick up provisions, and then row out again every fall to deliver the season's catch of cod, picking up their winter stores at that time. When The Hope appears as expected, Evered rows out and learns the truth of their situation: The yearly catch never quite covers the cost of the flour, peas, and molasses that their father would bring home, and being thus in debt to some faraway Mr. Strapp, his agent, “the Beadle”, must decide whether the youngster before him would be capable of bringing in a sufficient haul of cod, or whether he should send the two into service somewhere until they might clear their family's ledger of debt. Evered convinces the man to give them a season to prove themselves – likely because no one else would want to take over their “enterprise” with its remote, inhospitable curve of the rock and its sand-floored, drafty hut – and the siblings begin the back-breaking work of hand-fishing, preparing salt cod, hard-scrabble gardening, and the hundred other tasks of survival. Their catch is just decent enough to satisfy the Beadle when he returns again in the fall, but it's not nearly enough to touch the debt; and so the seasons and the years go by.
Crummey, being a noted poet as well as a novelist, is a master at selecting just the right words to describe the landscape and the atmosphere and the human heart (and I am always delighted by his obscure Newfoundlandisms; “a dwy of snow” and “my little blowsabella” sound like something out of The Jabberwocky to my ear). The work and the worries are so well captured, but we never forget that these are children; these are innocents: I smiled as they played games (and especially their invented “There's Your Answer”) and it broke my heart that a snatch of a drinking song that Evered overheard on board The Hope became the only song the siblings knew (small blessings, I guess, that they even found the one to fill a dark winter's evening). And naturally, as time goes by and these children grow to adolescence, forces will see them growing closer and growing apart again:
It was a torment and a respite to be away from his sister, to escape the confines of time spent with someone he would have died for and could hardly manage to speak to anymore. All the days of his life he had been inclined to her orbit and he canted toward her still though she seemed as distant as the moon. Even when they were together in the tilt she sat somewhere out of reach. Where Ada was concerned he felt he was the blinder in their childhood game, reeving around sightless with his useless hands before his face.
Between the setting's remoteness from civilisation and the richly selected language, The Innocents had a real Cormac McCarthyesque vibe that I savoured:
The sun had long set and the only light in the room was from the fire and Evered watched his sister in that darkling. Just able to make out her features though he could have touched her without moving from his seat. Her ebony ponytail only visible in motion, when she turned her head or tipped her face back to drain her mug. And he thought it was a genuine picture of Ada, that it was as true a sight as a person could hope to take of another in this life. That anything more was gossip and fairy tale, umbrage, wishful thinking.
And, of course, “the innocents” conjures the Garden of Eden, and the infrequent visitors tempt a Fall with their Books of Knowledge, and how long should the pair stubbornly cling to their Paradise after being shown how inconsequential their spit of dirt is in the scheme of the whole wide world? Interior journeys are just as fraught as taking a leaky dory out onto the open ocean and challenges to one's innocence and ignorance are just as taxing as the hard labour of keeping a body going; and to think: It all started with that small nugget of inspiration and I believed every word of what Crummey has breathed into being.
December 31, 2019
Such desolation and yet such beauty! Wow! I loved this book! I hadn't even been sure I'd like it let alone love it, and I'm glad I decided to read it.
The Innocents tells the story of two children whose parents are raising them along the coast of northern Newfoundland. It is a remote area, far from even the nearest town. When the parents die, the children are left to their own innovativeness and fortitude in order to survive in this bleakest and cruelest of locations. The winters are long and brutal, the summers short and full of hard work. There is no electricity, no running water, no supermarkets, and certainly no internet. These two brave young people must rely on just themselves and each other for everything. They know very little of the outside world and have only met a handful of other people. The perils they face are many, from starvation to illness and more.
This is a remarkable book. I was drawn in from the very beginning, invested in these kids' lives, hoping they would survive. It is gritty and brutal and yet I did not want to put it down. I didn't like the hunting parts, but at the same time I knew these children needed to do whatever it took to survive, and also, at least the animals had a decent life, not suffering in some factory farm, during their lives.
The story was predictable and yet that did not take away from my enjoyment of it. It is written so well that I could almost feel myself shiver in that cold and harsh environment, see the ice and snow covered landscape, feel the bitter, biting wind on my face. This is a remarkable book and I highly recommend it.
(Note: this is not YA despite it being about children/teens)
October 13, 2019
I regret to say that at about the 2/3 mark I bailed on this book. Yes, it’s atmospheric and well written, but I came to find the story of two orphaned siblings in remote, late 18th-century Newfoundland increasingly tedious. I grew weary of reading .
The author makes abundant skillful use of the Dictionary of Newfoundland English, a tome I know he loves and often recommends. Most of the time the reader can infer the meaning of words and idioms from context, but not always, so I found it handy to use the online dictionary as I read: https://www.heritage.nf.ca/dictionary...#
Even so, I occasionally wished Crummey would just lighten up and put authenticity on the back burner for a while. Reading this book was sometimes more work than I felt prepared to do, probably because I really wasn’t sufficiently invested in the tale.
Apparently aware that his narrative could be sensational and even exploitative, Crummey is often subtle and indirect in his presentation of the siblings’ lives. This is part of what makes the work so literary. While I do recognize the quality of the writing, my rating reflects my increasing resistance to the book. Initially, I quite liked the novel, but it gradually became a slog for me. After a point, I found I simply did not care what happened to Evered and Ada. I could no longer summon up interest in either.
The author makes abundant skillful use of the Dictionary of Newfoundland English, a tome I know he loves and often recommends. Most of the time the reader can infer the meaning of words and idioms from context, but not always, so I found it handy to use the online dictionary as I read: https://www.heritage.nf.ca/dictionary...#
Even so, I occasionally wished Crummey would just lighten up and put authenticity on the back burner for a while. Reading this book was sometimes more work than I felt prepared to do, probably because I really wasn’t sufficiently invested in the tale.
Apparently aware that his narrative could be sensational and even exploitative, Crummey is often subtle and indirect in his presentation of the siblings’ lives. This is part of what makes the work so literary. While I do recognize the quality of the writing, my rating reflects my increasing resistance to the book. Initially, I quite liked the novel, but it gradually became a slog for me. After a point, I found I simply did not care what happened to Evered and Ada. I could no longer summon up interest in either.
December 25, 2019
This novel is written with a supernatural attention to detail. It's as if Crummey has taken it upon himself to inhabit the interior spaces of the brother and sister that he conjures up from his imagination. He inhabits their daily lives. He channels them onto the page for us, until I could see and feel what these characters see and feel. Never mind that the world he imagines for these two is like nowhere I could have imagined on my own--I'm there. At just this moment, I can't remember another novel I've read that so fully imagines the lives of its characters the way Crummey does here. The novel is bleak but full of beauty. It's a remarkable achievement.
January 2, 2020
3.5, rounded up.
Sweetland was my favorite book of 2015, so I was so delighted that the long four year wait was finally over with Mr. Crummey's new novel. Unsurprisingly, it is both set in Newfoundland, and has a mixture of the harsh realities of that landscape, along with the gorgeous, precise prose for which Crummey is suitably lauded. There are also hints of the supernatural, as in his previous novel, as well as some harrowing set pieces that he renders cinematically, so the reader can't help but picture them in their mind's eye.
My only (very minor) complaint is that it just didn't have the propulsive momentum of the earlier work; it's more languid in pace, and there isn't the strong through line (or indeed, much of a plot in the traditional sense) to carry one along. But reading this reminded me that I NEED to tackle Crummey's back catalog, as he is certainly a one of a kind writer, and I have enjoyed everything he's written so far.
And what an unusual and gorgeous cover!
My sincere thanks to Netgalley and Doubleday books for the ARC in exchange for this honest review.
Sweetland was my favorite book of 2015, so I was so delighted that the long four year wait was finally over with Mr. Crummey's new novel. Unsurprisingly, it is both set in Newfoundland, and has a mixture of the harsh realities of that landscape, along with the gorgeous, precise prose for which Crummey is suitably lauded. There are also hints of the supernatural, as in his previous novel, as well as some harrowing set pieces that he renders cinematically, so the reader can't help but picture them in their mind's eye.
My only (very minor) complaint is that it just didn't have the propulsive momentum of the earlier work; it's more languid in pace, and there isn't the strong through line (or indeed, much of a plot in the traditional sense) to carry one along. But reading this reminded me that I NEED to tackle Crummey's back catalog, as he is certainly a one of a kind writer, and I have enjoyed everything he's written so far.
And what an unusual and gorgeous cover!
My sincere thanks to Netgalley and Doubleday books for the ARC in exchange for this honest review.
November 22, 2020
The glib part of me wants to call this "The Blue Lagoon" set in a cold, unfriendly landscape, and without the annoying presence of Brooke Shields, but that would be a great disservice to this fine, beautifully described novel of an orphaned brother and sister going it alone in a desolate area of Newfoundland. Their year revolves around catching and preserving fish to sell during times of abundance, and nearly starving to death during the long winters. A fascinating, yet unsettling look at two young lives molded by their dire circumstances.
December 10, 2019
The story of two orphaned siblings fighting for survival on the wild Labrador coast of Newfoundland. With the exception of a couple of dramatic set pieces, the plot is secondary to the 'extraordinary' relationship that develops between brother and sister. I use the word 'extraordinary' here to elude to a theme which is central to the novel but which is best discovered for one's self.
Michael Crummey writes beautifully of landscape, conveying in an economical and yet poetic style, the vastness and the drama of the local coastline. The cold and isolation demanding a mental fortitude in order to persevere with the mundane slog of daily survival. The entire thing is intensely realised, take this snippet about an approaching storm :
It was like watching a pantomime play out on the boards of the ocean's monumental theatre, Evered alone upon it as the tempest's slow motion calamity crossed the surface like a marauding army advancing on a field. And nothing to be done but wait for the collision and stand witness.
The unique Newfoundland lexicon, is such a big part of the charm of the book. The faffering wind and the idea of a person being a grumbletonian particularly amused me. Interesting and archaic curse words also abound - Muck-spout , Filthy beard splitter, Blowsabella, it is just such a joy to stumble over them all.
A surprisingly terse ending is the only dent to an otherwise fascinating survival / coming-of-age story.
Michael Crummey writes beautifully of landscape, conveying in an economical and yet poetic style, the vastness and the drama of the local coastline. The cold and isolation demanding a mental fortitude in order to persevere with the mundane slog of daily survival. The entire thing is intensely realised, take this snippet about an approaching storm :
It was like watching a pantomime play out on the boards of the ocean's monumental theatre, Evered alone upon it as the tempest's slow motion calamity crossed the surface like a marauding army advancing on a field. And nothing to be done but wait for the collision and stand witness.
The unique Newfoundland lexicon, is such a big part of the charm of the book. The faffering wind and the idea of a person being a grumbletonian particularly amused me. Interesting and archaic curse words also abound - Muck-spout , Filthy beard splitter, Blowsabella, it is just such a joy to stumble over them all.
A surprisingly terse ending is the only dent to an otherwise fascinating survival / coming-of-age story.
August 4, 2021
Ada and Evered are siblings, attempting to survive on a small, barren stretch of land that is battered by sea winds and harsh winters. Their parents are dead and the only option for their continued existence is to uproot to the nearest town, unless they can follow in their parents hard-working footsteps and make this inhospitable land their home.
Given the synopsis and isolated setting, I anticipated this story to be one akin to the unsettling The Water Cure but instead received something closer to Little House on the Prairie. Both books explained the day-to-day running of their home and the exhausting, endless methods necessary just to survive. This, however, was a far bleaker tale and there were few moments of merriment for the starving and lonely duo.
Years passed and still they remained. The focus too remained on their attempts at survival and also their growing bodies and sensibilities. It was interesting to see the pair grow from children, to teenagers, to young adults and still largely keep their innocent perspectives intact.
Although I remained interested throughout, the repetitive nature of the fight for survival meant this wasn’t a story I felt I would take a lot from. This also concluded as I imagined it would, but was no less an enjoyable read for me, for that reason. Throughout, I had no negative emotions and finished it with no bad words to say. The somewhat ambivalent rating and placid feelings stem from this merely being not exactly the sort of read I gravitate towards but am, nonetheless, glad to have experienced it.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author, Michael Crummey, and the publisher, Doubleday, for this opportunity.
Given the synopsis and isolated setting, I anticipated this story to be one akin to the unsettling The Water Cure but instead received something closer to Little House on the Prairie. Both books explained the day-to-day running of their home and the exhausting, endless methods necessary just to survive. This, however, was a far bleaker tale and there were few moments of merriment for the starving and lonely duo.
Years passed and still they remained. The focus too remained on their attempts at survival and also their growing bodies and sensibilities. It was interesting to see the pair grow from children, to teenagers, to young adults and still largely keep their innocent perspectives intact.
Although I remained interested throughout, the repetitive nature of the fight for survival meant this wasn’t a story I felt I would take a lot from. This also concluded as I imagined it would, but was no less an enjoyable read for me, for that reason. Throughout, I had no negative emotions and finished it with no bad words to say. The somewhat ambivalent rating and placid feelings stem from this merely being not exactly the sort of read I gravitate towards but am, nonetheless, glad to have experienced it.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author, Michael Crummey, and the publisher, Doubleday, for this opportunity.
March 12, 2021
This book won't be for everyone, especially those who value a layered plot that zips along. The pace is measured and the story line leans towards bleak. But for people like me, who like an x-ray look inside people, who value becoming immersed in an unfamiliar place and time, and who appreciate facility with language and description, this might be your cup of tea.
This tale begins as two young children, Ada and Evered are left orphaned in one of the more inhospitable places on earth--coastal Newfoundland, possibly in the 1800's. Life was hard even with parents, and it becomes more difficult without them. This is a tale of survival against all odds. It's a tale of what happens when two people develop in a vacuum. It's a tale that imagines who we become without any outside mirrors to show us who we are or who we might be.
Having been taught almost nothing other than basic daily survival tasks, the two scrap out a meager living as their bodies and minds grow, causing them confusion, consternation, and changes in how they relate as a result. I found this fascinating, as I mused about how much of our understanding and identities and behaviors are driven by the culture we exist in. When that culture is removed, or nonexistent to begin with, what do we make of what we experience, internally and externally? How do we make sense of anything that happens? What direction do we grow?
The harshness of the environment Ada and Evered dealt with, punctuated by occasional visits from those who stopped by to deliver supplies, was relentless, and the description of the day to day work and fight to survive was gripping to me, as I know others did (and do) survive in such harsh circumstances. Knowing they were an accident or bad fish harvest or illness away from death created tension that kept my interest.
There are some moments and plot lines that might make some squirm, as these two young people age and evolve. For me, those moments made the title of the book more apropos.
I listened on audible, and found the narration delightful. Hearing the accent, colloquial expressions, and pronunciations like "brudder" tickled me and made the story more real.
This tale begins as two young children, Ada and Evered are left orphaned in one of the more inhospitable places on earth--coastal Newfoundland, possibly in the 1800's. Life was hard even with parents, and it becomes more difficult without them. This is a tale of survival against all odds. It's a tale of what happens when two people develop in a vacuum. It's a tale that imagines who we become without any outside mirrors to show us who we are or who we might be.
Having been taught almost nothing other than basic daily survival tasks, the two scrap out a meager living as their bodies and minds grow, causing them confusion, consternation, and changes in how they relate as a result. I found this fascinating, as I mused about how much of our understanding and identities and behaviors are driven by the culture we exist in. When that culture is removed, or nonexistent to begin with, what do we make of what we experience, internally and externally? How do we make sense of anything that happens? What direction do we grow?
The harshness of the environment Ada and Evered dealt with, punctuated by occasional visits from those who stopped by to deliver supplies, was relentless, and the description of the day to day work and fight to survive was gripping to me, as I know others did (and do) survive in such harsh circumstances. Knowing they were an accident or bad fish harvest or illness away from death created tension that kept my interest.
There are some moments and plot lines that might make some squirm, as these two young people age and evolve. For me, those moments made the title of the book more apropos.
I listened on audible, and found the narration delightful. Hearing the accent, colloquial expressions, and pronunciations like "brudder" tickled me and made the story more real.
November 30, 2019
The Innocents is an example of great storytelling. It reminded me a lot of Hannah Kent’s Burial Rites. It is a beautifully constructed, measured story of two orphans, innocent of social expectations and norms, the world of commerce, and adult relationships. The real star of this novel, is the inhospitable Newfoundland Coast. Crummey brings this desolate environment to life, and it looms large in every moment; a force which perpetually threatens to overwhelm the innocence of Ada and Everedd. This novel isn’t for the faint-hearted. It’s challenging, and at times gruesomely direct but it’s also absorbing. My main complaint was that the ending is quite abrupt. A great read which I’m so glad my book club brought to my attention.
November 2, 2019
DNF 33%
Update 2 Nov.
So when you're in the middle of the ocean, all the books become more valued and so I picked this back up, curious as to why I was put off and everyone else was fairly impressed by it. While I think that this writing is really great, the topic is a difficult one and I wonder why writers like to explore these weird (to me) storylines. As I suspected, this did get weird. The characters were well drawn, especially the girl, who had periods, pregnancy and a sixth sense to deal with, talking her dead sister all day long as well.... The boy, he just had to deal with being horny all the time?!? I did expect more from dear Brother.. and the whole premise is slightly unbelievable but I am no expert in this part of history or this part of the world so I guess anything is possible. 4 star for the writing, even if it left me extremely uncomfortable.
Update 2 Nov.
So when you're in the middle of the ocean, all the books become more valued and so I picked this back up, curious as to why I was put off and everyone else was fairly impressed by it. While I think that this writing is really great, the topic is a difficult one and I wonder why writers like to explore these weird (to me) storylines. As I suspected, this did get weird. The characters were well drawn, especially the girl, who had periods, pregnancy and a sixth sense to deal with, talking her dead sister all day long as well.... The boy, he just had to deal with being horny all the time?!? I did expect more from dear Brother.. and the whole premise is slightly unbelievable but I am no expert in this part of history or this part of the world so I guess anything is possible. 4 star for the writing, even if it left me extremely uncomfortable.
October 29, 2019
THE INNOCENTS is an atmospheric story of survival set in 18th century Newfoundland. It begins with death leaving a young brother and sister ages 12 and 10 orphaned. Alone and isolated, Evered and Ada begin and end each day struggling to feed themselves, stay warm during the severe winters, procure enough food throughout the short spring and summer to trade for supplies, and learn the ways of their growing bodies and the world....together.
Didn't much care for this one or some of the places it took the reader. A tedious read, for me, unlike Crummey's SWEETLAND.
Many thanks to Doubleday Books via NetGalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.
January 27, 2024
Diese Geschichte spielt um das 18. Jahrhundert rum und das Setting ist Neufundland.
Evered ist 11 Jahre alt und seine Schwester, die 9 jährige Ada leben mit ihren Eltern in einer einsamen Bucht ein ärmliches Leben . Sie leben vom Fischfang und erhalten im Gegenzug Lebensmittel und andere notwendige Dinge zum Überleben.
Die Eltern der Beiden sterbenu und die Geschwister kämpfen nun ums Überleben.
Die Geschichte empfand ich atmosphärisch als sehr dicht. Verstärkt wurde dies noch dadurch, dass ich meistens nur abends las. Regen prasselte an meine Fenster und auch hier stürmte es zeitweise draußen. Das war also ein Leseerlebnis der besonderen Art für mich.
Der Text ist sehr ruhig erzählt. Er kommt ohne Aufregung aus.
Die Kinder haben nahezu keinen Besuch und müssen sich sehr viele Dinge aneignen, die sie noch nicht von ihren Eltern gelernt hatten.
Ein Unbehagen entwickelt sich innerhalb der Geschichte, wenn Evered und Ada in die Pubertät kommen. Da musste ich schon häufig schlucken.
Die ganze Zeit hat mich die Erzählung aber am Ball gehalten. Ich wollte wissen, wie sich Ada und ihr Bruder durchschlagen und hab immer gehofft, dass sie überleben und zurecht kommen.
Ich hab das Buch gerne gelesen. Die Atmosphäre konnte mich sehr überzeugen. Man sollte wissen, dass dieses Buch weder viel Hoffnung, noch Heiterkeit versprüht. Oftmals hat es mich bedrückt, denn es geht um das harte Leben, dass sich zwei Kinder,einsam und verlassen, jeden Tag aufs Neue erarbeiten müssen.
Für mich werden die Umstände der beiden Hauptcharaktere noch länger im Kopf bleiben.
Evered ist 11 Jahre alt und seine Schwester, die 9 jährige Ada leben mit ihren Eltern in einer einsamen Bucht ein ärmliches Leben . Sie leben vom Fischfang und erhalten im Gegenzug Lebensmittel und andere notwendige Dinge zum Überleben.
Die Eltern der Beiden sterbenu und die Geschwister kämpfen nun ums Überleben.
Die Geschichte empfand ich atmosphärisch als sehr dicht. Verstärkt wurde dies noch dadurch, dass ich meistens nur abends las. Regen prasselte an meine Fenster und auch hier stürmte es zeitweise draußen. Das war also ein Leseerlebnis der besonderen Art für mich.
Der Text ist sehr ruhig erzählt. Er kommt ohne Aufregung aus.
Die Kinder haben nahezu keinen Besuch und müssen sich sehr viele Dinge aneignen, die sie noch nicht von ihren Eltern gelernt hatten.
Ein Unbehagen entwickelt sich innerhalb der Geschichte, wenn Evered und Ada in die Pubertät kommen. Da musste ich schon häufig schlucken.
Die ganze Zeit hat mich die Erzählung aber am Ball gehalten. Ich wollte wissen, wie sich Ada und ihr Bruder durchschlagen und hab immer gehofft, dass sie überleben und zurecht kommen.
Ich hab das Buch gerne gelesen. Die Atmosphäre konnte mich sehr überzeugen. Man sollte wissen, dass dieses Buch weder viel Hoffnung, noch Heiterkeit versprüht. Oftmals hat es mich bedrückt, denn es geht um das harte Leben, dass sich zwei Kinder,einsam und verlassen, jeden Tag aufs Neue erarbeiten müssen.
Für mich werden die Umstände der beiden Hauptcharaktere noch länger im Kopf bleiben.
December 20, 2023
The author has in numerous interviews described his inspiration for this novel – looking through some Newfoundland archives and stumbling across a story of a clergyman who found two orphans living alone in an isolated cove in the North of the area; seeing the girl appearing to be pregnant, and assuming incest might be involved, he tried to question them about their relationship but was driven off at gunpoint.
This story is in essence the author’s fictionalisation of that story – one that less investigates how the orphans came to be alone as what happened once they were – not just how two children would physically survive in such circumstances but how their physical and emotional development would take place.
The story is set in the 18th Century, in a remote cove where a small family live an isolated existence – once dictated by the fiercely seasonal weather: the seals coming in on the encroaching ice packs, the cod shoals following the caplin, foraging of plants and seaweed, a meagre crop of root vegetables, a trading boat visiting twice a year to swap their salt cod for supplies.
When at the start of the story both parents and their baby sister Martha die in a very short period of time, the remaining boy and girl (aged 12 and 10 and named, in a rather clumsy inversion by the author I think of the Adam and Eve story – Evered and Ada) are left to fend for themselves in what is far from an earthly paradise “with the little knowledge of the world passed on haphazard and gleaned by chance.”
Their belief that Martha remains in the cove and their promise not to leave her means that when months later the trading ship finally visits they refuse to be taken back to the nearby trading town and instead eke out each year their existence, Martha and her spirit acting as something of a confidant to Ada (and a possible source of supernatural intervention).
They clumsily try and reproduce the life of their parents based on the imperfect knowledge and skills imparted to them – their isolated life sometimes broken up by outside visitors (some alive and some dead) who bring both new knowledge and insight and wider horizons which sometimes helps (the availability of plentiful hunting denied to their father by his poor eyesight and rusted rifle) and sometimes hinders (added sexual tension).
Over time the book I feel gets a little too dominated by their children’s emerging sexuality (A body must bear what can’t be helped
And although there is a lot that is very authentic seeming in the world building which is at the heart of the novel I did struggle a little with the voice of the narrator – as I felt the voicing of the children’s thoughts and ideas was inconsistent – at one moment trying to represent their lack of knowledge of words and concepts, at the other using complex literary language. An example would be this passage
Overall I think this tale will appeal to many readers but it was not quite to my taste.
My thanks to Oldcastle Books for an ARC via NetGalley
This story is in essence the author’s fictionalisation of that story – one that less investigates how the orphans came to be alone as what happened once they were – not just how two children would physically survive in such circumstances but how their physical and emotional development would take place.
The story is set in the 18th Century, in a remote cove where a small family live an isolated existence – once dictated by the fiercely seasonal weather: the seals coming in on the encroaching ice packs, the cod shoals following the caplin, foraging of plants and seaweed, a meagre crop of root vegetables, a trading boat visiting twice a year to swap their salt cod for supplies.
When at the start of the story both parents and their baby sister Martha die in a very short period of time, the remaining boy and girl (aged 12 and 10 and named, in a rather clumsy inversion by the author I think of the Adam and Eve story – Evered and Ada) are left to fend for themselves in what is far from an earthly paradise “with the little knowledge of the world passed on haphazard and gleaned by chance.”
– The ocean and the firmament and the sum of God’s stars were created in seven days.
– Sun hounds prophesy coarse weather.
– The death of a horse is the life of a crow.
– You were never to sleep before the fire was douted.
– The winter’s flour and salt pork had to last till the first seals came in on the ice in March month.
– The dead reside in heaven and heaven sits among the stars.
– Nothing below the ocean’s surface lies still.
– Idleness is the root of all troubles.
– Their baby sister died an innocent and sits at God’s right hand and hears their prayers.
– Any creature on the earth or in the sea could be killed and eaten.
– A body must bear what can’t be helped.
Their belief that Martha remains in the cove and their promise not to leave her means that when months later the trading ship finally visits they refuse to be taken back to the nearby trading town and instead eke out each year their existence, Martha and her spirit acting as something of a confidant to Ada (and a possible source of supernatural intervention).
They clumsily try and reproduce the life of their parents based on the imperfect knowledge and skills imparted to them – their isolated life sometimes broken up by outside visitors (some alive and some dead) who bring both new knowledge and insight and wider horizons which sometimes helps (the availability of plentiful hunting denied to their father by his poor eyesight and rusted rifle) and sometimes hinders (added sexual tension).
He asked how they had managed in the cove on their own and for the first time Ada had to consider their lives as they might look from the outside, as a story she might tell a stranger. She spoke of Mary Oram and of the infant Martha who was gone but still with them, of the Beadle aboard The Hope and the whitecoat they almost died taking off the ice. There was the storm that wrecked the ship on the coast, the icebound vessel with its dead man at the stove and the trunk of clothes where she salvaged her trousers and waistcoat and tricorn. She mentioned the bear and her cub, she told Warren about the unlikely Captain Truss and Mrs Brace who had saved her life, about trapping with Evered up the brook and along Black Bear River over the winter.
Over time the book I feel gets a little too dominated by their children’s emerging sexuality (A body must bear what can’t be helped
And although there is a lot that is very authentic seeming in the world building which is at the heart of the novel I did struggle a little with the voice of the narrator – as I felt the voicing of the children’s thoughts and ideas was inconsistent – at one moment trying to represent their lack of knowledge of words and concepts, at the other using complex literary language. An example would be this passage
Orphans, Warren had called Ada and her brother. It was a peculiar feeling to learn there was a word for it. That they were not the only people in the world to suffer the condition. She imagined Evered lost to her forever in some far-flung corner of the earth, not knowing if he was quick or dead, and that seemed worse somehow than the thought of her parents adrift in the waters off the cove, of Martha lying in her grave of peat on the Downs. She thought for a long time about the fist-sized clutch of terror that had come over her after Evered announced the strangers on the landwash. That sense of dread absolute and amorphous though there was nothing vague about what lay at its root.
Overall I think this tale will appeal to many readers but it was not quite to my taste.
My thanks to Oldcastle Books for an ARC via NetGalley
January 10, 2024
I'm not too clear on what to say about this book - it was certainly like nothing I've read before. It was extremely well written, though, and on the whole, I enjoyed it! A few things stood out for me, so I'll just list a few observations:
It was interesting - I love to read stories set in Canada, and to learn a little history in the process.
It was certainly bleak - they were barely surviving from one year to the next.
It was infuriating - the book included horrendous, unspeakable abuse of a bear cub. It utterly tore me apart. Why, Michael Crummey? What purpose did that serve? It was unnecessary and horrifyingly cruel.
And it was shocking -
So this, along with everything they experienced... were they not simply choices made? Once orphaned, could they not reach out to people in the next settlement, or to the ship's captain?
I really have mixed feelings about this book, and to be honest, I'm not at all certain I can believe that anyone else would make the choices they made.
It was interesting - I love to read stories set in Canada, and to learn a little history in the process.
It was certainly bleak - they were barely surviving from one year to the next.
It was infuriating - the book included horrendous, unspeakable abuse of a bear cub. It utterly tore me apart. Why, Michael Crummey? What purpose did that serve? It was unnecessary and horrifyingly cruel.
And it was shocking -
So this, along with everything they experienced... were they not simply choices made? Once orphaned, could they not reach out to people in the next settlement, or to the ship's captain?
I really have mixed feelings about this book, and to be honest, I'm not at all certain I can believe that anyone else would make the choices they made.
May 12, 2022
A Tale of Survival
Ada and her brother walked for miles along the beach picking up food and other supplies that had washed up on the shore from a shipwreck. They would need these items for their own survival.
They had lived in this isolated cove in northern Newfoundland all their lives, but at the ages of 10 and 12 their parents had died, leaving them alone in this cove. Their parents had lived there for years, making a living by catching and then drying fish to trade for other supplies when a certain ship came by the cove once a year.
They weathered the storms, found another wrecked ship and boarded it, taking what they could find, but when the boy opened a door in the cabin and was shocked, leaving the ship in a hurry, never telling Ada what he had seen. Next, they also learned to hunt and trap animals, and I had wished that I had been spared the details, the sufferings of the animals.
When I finished this book, I had to ask myself if I really enjoyed it. It didn’t read like an adventure, nothing like Robinson and Crusoe, but more like a Dicken’s novel for their lives were bleak. There was nothing to like about their way of life, and maybe that is how the author wanted it to be.
Ada and her brother walked for miles along the beach picking up food and other supplies that had washed up on the shore from a shipwreck. They would need these items for their own survival.
They had lived in this isolated cove in northern Newfoundland all their lives, but at the ages of 10 and 12 their parents had died, leaving them alone in this cove. Their parents had lived there for years, making a living by catching and then drying fish to trade for other supplies when a certain ship came by the cove once a year.
They weathered the storms, found another wrecked ship and boarded it, taking what they could find, but when the boy opened a door in the cabin and was shocked, leaving the ship in a hurry, never telling Ada what he had seen. Next, they also learned to hunt and trap animals, and I had wished that I had been spared the details, the sufferings of the animals.
When I finished this book, I had to ask myself if I really enjoyed it. It didn’t read like an adventure, nothing like Robinson and Crusoe, but more like a Dicken’s novel for their lives were bleak. There was nothing to like about their way of life, and maybe that is how the author wanted it to be.
February 23, 2020
Much as the writing was beautiful, the book did not totally enthral me.
It is the story of Evered and Ada, brother and sister, who are left orphaned in a remote location in Newfoundland, after both their parents die. It is a story of survival- the conditions are harsh. They are,I think, 12 and 10 respectively when they are left on their own. Crummy does a terrific job of depicting the bleakness of their situation. The landscape, the winters, the isolation, the lack of knowledge about the world and themselves all come to play in this novel.
As I write this, I feel I should have loved the novel more than I did! But it felt very repetitive after awhile, as if he was just filling in spaces between more monumental moments. One specific topic (a spoiler, so won’t say) was played to the the extremes. I do think the ending concluded the book well.
So I am divided on this book. Many people loved it! I liked it well enough, but not enough to recommend it!!
It is the story of Evered and Ada, brother and sister, who are left orphaned in a remote location in Newfoundland, after both their parents die. It is a story of survival- the conditions are harsh. They are,I think, 12 and 10 respectively when they are left on their own. Crummy does a terrific job of depicting the bleakness of their situation. The landscape, the winters, the isolation, the lack of knowledge about the world and themselves all come to play in this novel.
As I write this, I feel I should have loved the novel more than I did! But it felt very repetitive after awhile, as if he was just filling in spaces between more monumental moments. One specific topic (a spoiler, so won’t say) was played to the the extremes. I do think the ending concluded the book well.
So I am divided on this book. Many people loved it! I liked it well enough, but not enough to recommend it!!
October 19, 2019
for the love of sweet baby jesus on the cross do i love michael crummey's writing. like... SERIOUSLY! he is such a unique and inimitable talent. his skill with language continually impresses me, and his ability to truly present the settings of his stories as vivid characters leaves me in awe. that's a lot of praise, isn't it? for what it's worth, i did go into the read fairly neutral. of course i was excited for a NEW michael crummey novel, but i did manage to keep my expectations in check. so even though i do consider him one of my favourite writers, i do not automatically love everything he does and give his work careful consideration. (i felt the need to qualify my praise for some reason.)
from the CBC:
"Years ago, while doing some research in the St. John's archives, [Crummey] came upon a reference to an 18th century clergyman who discovered two young siblings living on their own in an isolated cove. When the clergyman approached them to ask how they came to be there on their own, the boy chased him off at gunpoint. That anecdote lodged itself in Michael Crummey's head, and eventually led him to write his fifth work of fiction, a novel called The Innocents."
Says Crummey, "There was one salient detail, which was that the sister was pregnant. And the clergyman got up on his high horse about that and assumed — probably quite rightly — that the brother was the father. That's why he was driven off by the brother.
I immediately thought that there was a story there to tell and I immediately dismissed it because I didn't want to touch that with a ten-foot pole. But it has stayed with me. And I think the thing that made it stay with me was my sense of what an appalling circumstance those children would have found themselves in — to be orphaned in a place without any outside influences at all, and then having to try and discover who they were and how the world worked.
And I do think childhood for all of us, to one extent or another, is about that appalling confusion."
the appalling confusion of childhood -- RIGHT?
writing for the globe and mail, jessica leeder offers a lovely, thoughtful review. her summary of the novel i share here:
there were several gut-punch moments in the innocents and one, in particular, that left me in tears. and not those pretty tears that gently trickle down. nope. a full-on ugly cry took place. the ending of the story surprised me. i thought crummey was going to go a different way with it, and had been bracing myself for another big, ugly cry. instead, in this exquisite novel he leaves us with hope for ada and evered. hope.
from the CBC:
"Years ago, while doing some research in the St. John's archives, [Crummey] came upon a reference to an 18th century clergyman who discovered two young siblings living on their own in an isolated cove. When the clergyman approached them to ask how they came to be there on their own, the boy chased him off at gunpoint. That anecdote lodged itself in Michael Crummey's head, and eventually led him to write his fifth work of fiction, a novel called The Innocents."
Says Crummey, "There was one salient detail, which was that the sister was pregnant. And the clergyman got up on his high horse about that and assumed — probably quite rightly — that the brother was the father. That's why he was driven off by the brother.
I immediately thought that there was a story there to tell and I immediately dismissed it because I didn't want to touch that with a ten-foot pole. But it has stayed with me. And I think the thing that made it stay with me was my sense of what an appalling circumstance those children would have found themselves in — to be orphaned in a place without any outside influences at all, and then having to try and discover who they were and how the world worked.
And I do think childhood for all of us, to one extent or another, is about that appalling confusion."
the appalling confusion of childhood -- RIGHT?
writing for the globe and mail, jessica leeder offers a lovely, thoughtful review. her summary of the novel i share here:
The Innocents is the coming-of-age story of Evered and Ada Best, young siblings who find themselves orphaned and alone in a remote, isolated cove in northern Newfoundland after their parents and infant sister succumb to fatal illnesses. In true Crummey fashion, the tale is set in a rural, bygone place that is simultaneously so brutal and bewitching that the island itself becomes a complex, unruly character.while there is no getting around the fact this is a coming-of-age story, by melding it with a tale of desperate, hardscrabble, survival crummey has created a story that feels singularly new. crummey also takes on some very difficult ideas headfirst, despite his initial hesitation to not "touch it with a ten-foot pole.". and when he goes to these taboo places with his story, they aren't sensationalized. they are heartbreaking, raw, and inescapable parts of the children's existence.
Rich with visceral descriptions and outport dialogue that transports readers in both place and time, the story traces the siblings’ bone-tiring bid to stave off death as they grow up in the only place they know as home. Left with little more than an unreliable skiff and a set of memorized idioms to guide them (“A body must bear what can’t be helped”), the siblings battle starvation, the relentless cruelty of rain, cold and winter, and, eventually, a foreign form of isolation: the unexplained onset of puberty. Crummey deftly portrays the physical elements of adolescence as yet another mystifying imposition of nature, but one that both alienates the Best siblings and irrevocably binds them.
there were several gut-punch moments in the innocents and one, in particular, that left me in tears. and not those pretty tears that gently trickle down. nope. a full-on ugly cry took place. the ending of the story surprised me. i thought crummey was going to go a different way with it, and had been bracing myself for another big, ugly cry. instead, in this exquisite novel he leaves us with hope for ada and evered. hope.
November 7, 2023
TW: incest, hunting (killing of animals and birds)
This was my second book by this author. I read it immediately after his latest novel, “The Adversary”, which may be considered a sequel to this book, as it’s set in the same time period and location.
I’m still not sure if it’s set in late 18th or early 19th century. The location is Newfoundland and Labrador.
This is a bleak story of survival, nothing more. It’s a work of fiction. And the author’s imagination is amazing!
The writing and the storytelling are remarkable, hence my ratings.
I was completely enthralled and transported to that time.
I did not know what to expect.
I can’t remember the last time I read a book that took over my sleep. I would wake up in the middle of the night and my mind would be directed to the book and its characters.
Unfortunately it’s not a book that I would recommend to everyone. Some readers may find the story disturbing or upsetting, especially with the hunting of animals (as a matter of fact, there is one scene that will be haunting me for some time).
This book was one of the finalists for the 2019 Scotiabank Giller Prize, but my praise is not influenced by this fact.
Also (sorry for the capital letters, but I copied it and pasted it like that):
*FINALIST FOR THE 2019 GOVERNOR GENERAL'S LITERARY AWARD
*FINALIST FOR THE 2019 ROGERS WRITERS' TRUST FICTION PRIZE
*WINNER OF THE 2020 THOMAS RADDALL ATLANTIC FICTION AWARD
*NATIONAL BESTSELLER
*NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF 2019 BY The Globe and Mail • CBC • Toronto Star • Maclean's
e-book (Kobo): 306 pages (default), 83k words
This was my second book by this author. I read it immediately after his latest novel, “The Adversary”, which may be considered a sequel to this book, as it’s set in the same time period and location.
I’m still not sure if it’s set in late 18th or early 19th century. The location is Newfoundland and Labrador.
This is a bleak story of survival, nothing more. It’s a work of fiction. And the author’s imagination is amazing!
The writing and the storytelling are remarkable, hence my ratings.
I was completely enthralled and transported to that time.
I did not know what to expect.
I can’t remember the last time I read a book that took over my sleep. I would wake up in the middle of the night and my mind would be directed to the book and its characters.
Unfortunately it’s not a book that I would recommend to everyone. Some readers may find the story disturbing or upsetting, especially with the hunting of animals (as a matter of fact, there is one scene that will be haunting me for some time).
This book was one of the finalists for the 2019 Scotiabank Giller Prize, but my praise is not influenced by this fact.
Also (sorry for the capital letters, but I copied it and pasted it like that):
*FINALIST FOR THE 2019 GOVERNOR GENERAL'S LITERARY AWARD
*FINALIST FOR THE 2019 ROGERS WRITERS' TRUST FICTION PRIZE
*WINNER OF THE 2020 THOMAS RADDALL ATLANTIC FICTION AWARD
*NATIONAL BESTSELLER
*NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF 2019 BY The Globe and Mail • CBC • Toronto Star • Maclean's
e-book (Kobo): 306 pages (default), 83k words
September 25, 2019
⭐⭐⭐⭐ 1/2
LONGLISTED FOR 2019 GILLER PRIZE
Crummey follows up Galore and Sweetland with another captivating and intimate story rooted in Newfoundland history. Ava and Everett are siblings dealing with the sudden death of there parents and baby sister. Alone in a cove were their parents had run a fishing operation, the brother and sister decide to continue it on despite being so young and isolated on the cove. Over the next several years, Ava and Everett must overcome the treacherous ravages of the Atlantic coast, all the while dealing with the ghosts of their past and the uncertainty of becoming adults with little idea of what that will entail.
As with other Crummey books, the human characters must constantly negotiate their environment, which in itself becomes a driving force and influence on the decisions of the story's players. And few environs cast such a large shadow as that of the Newfoundland coast's. Here Crummey skillfully weaves an intimate coming of age story with the giant wins of a harsh and barely inhabitable world. Beautifully done and I expect it to be shortlisted on the 30th.
LONGLISTED FOR 2019 GILLER PRIZE
Crummey follows up Galore and Sweetland with another captivating and intimate story rooted in Newfoundland history. Ava and Everett are siblings dealing with the sudden death of there parents and baby sister. Alone in a cove were their parents had run a fishing operation, the brother and sister decide to continue it on despite being so young and isolated on the cove. Over the next several years, Ava and Everett must overcome the treacherous ravages of the Atlantic coast, all the while dealing with the ghosts of their past and the uncertainty of becoming adults with little idea of what that will entail.
As with other Crummey books, the human characters must constantly negotiate their environment, which in itself becomes a driving force and influence on the decisions of the story's players. And few environs cast such a large shadow as that of the Newfoundland coast's. Here Crummey skillfully weaves an intimate coming of age story with the giant wins of a harsh and barely inhabitable world. Beautifully done and I expect it to be shortlisted on the 30th.
October 20, 2019
Michael Crummey’s a great story-teller and a fine novelist. The Innocents immersed me in an all but forgotten Newfoundland cove — too small and too remote to even call an outport — of two hundred or so years ago, just as Sweetland and River Thieves did. The tiny cove becomes a world unto itself for the two preteen and then teen orphans fending for themselves, and the annual and random visiting boats could be spaceships bringing visitors from remote and previously unknown planets.
My substantial pleasure in reading The Innocents was a bit diminished by Crummey’s portrayal of Ada and Evered: Ada felt to me like an understandable and fully fleshed out, developed, and developing character, her brother Evered less so. The ending felt abrupt and disappointing, as if the story might have benefited from an additional chapter or two. But these are quibbles, and The Innocents is another Crummey novel and one that I look forward to rereading.
A final note: Doubleday Canada, a couple of maps — whether real or imagined — would have greatly enhanced my reading experience.
4 stars
My substantial pleasure in reading The Innocents was a bit diminished by Crummey’s portrayal of Ada and Evered: Ada felt to me like an understandable and fully fleshed out, developed, and developing character, her brother Evered less so. The ending felt abrupt and disappointing, as if the story might have benefited from an additional chapter or two. But these are quibbles, and The Innocents is another Crummey novel and one that I look forward to rereading.
A final note: Doubleday Canada, a couple of maps — whether real or imagined — would have greatly enhanced my reading experience.
4 stars
March 5, 2020
This book wasn't for me. The parts of the book that talked about the location and surviving in this secluded environment did interest me; the authors descriptions of the natural surroundings and the depiction of living this kind of life were beautiful. However, I felt really gross and uncomfortable reading this book; the non stop obsession over the sexual activity/thoughts/tension between the brother and sister was just too much for me. It went on and on and just never seemed to end.
I did enjoy the setting and the writing itself was good and very readable, so I think I would try another book by this author but the particular subject matter of this book was definitely a fail for me. I personally do not recommend.
I did enjoy the setting and the writing itself was good and very readable, so I think I would try another book by this author but the particular subject matter of this book was definitely a fail for me. I personally do not recommend.
February 21, 2020
This book starts with the death of Ada's and Evered's parents and baby sister, leaving the siblings aged 9 and 11 completely alone on a cold and inhospitable New Foundland shore. Ada and Evered - see what Crummey has done there - labour through the seasons only with very occasional visits from The Hope to deliver supplies and take their catch of cod. Ada and Evered know just about enough to survive (and the book is full of the work they do, and the landscape they have to submit to), but like Eve and Adam before the time of the apple, they know next to nothing about the world beyond their cove and even less about their bodies. A brilliant, visceral, evocative coming of age novel.
December 6, 2019
The Innocents reminded me of children’s books I read years ago. There’s a fairytale quality to these two orphaned siblings living in absolute isolation Newfoundland. They have no adult to explain their latent desires as they become adolescents. They don’t even know what sex is or how humans reproduce. Although this might sound scandalous and slightly perverse, Crummey delivers a profound meditation on the realms of innocence. And the ending is so perfect and sublime and subverts our ideas of sin and wrongdoing and redemption. In my opinion, Crummey’s best book yet.
January 18, 2020
This brother with his prematurely white hair and his younger sister living on their remote and lonely stretch of Newfoundland have stayed with me long after closing this book. If only the ending hadn’t seemed so rushed.
September 16, 2019
I never wanted this book to end and I feel at a loss now that I am finished. I hope Crummey will continue this story. If ever a sequel was needed, this is it.
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