First published 2023
Abe Strapp stands ready to marry his rival merchant's daughter in the remote Newfoundland outport of Mockbeggar. The union will secure his control over the northern shore's fishing trade. Then the Widow Caines appears at his wedding, destroying his carefully laid plans with one brutal act of sabotage. What follows is an escalating war between two merchants who control the town's largest trading firms. Each seeks control over the Atlantic fishery's dwindling resources. Each wants revenge on the person they hate most. Their feud grows more vicious with every passing season, splitting the community down the middle. Neighbors choose sides. Violence spreads. Even those who want no part in the conflict find themselves pulled into the battle. Storms batter the coast. Disease sweeps through the settlement. Privateers raid the waters. Yet the greatest threat comes from within, as human hearts prove more dangerous than any external enemy in this endless cycle of vengeance.
Genres: drama, literary-fiction, historical-fiction, canadian-literature
Vibes: atmospheric, dark, gritty, intense, tragic
Tropes: community-divided, enemies-to-lovers, feud, revenge
Setting: Mockbeggar, Newfoundland, Atlantic
Period: 19th-century
336 pages · Paperback · Vintage Canada
Content warnings: death, violence