WINNER OF THE LIBRIS AWARD FOR BEST FICTION & BEST AUTHOR
SHORTLISTED FOR THE GOVERNOR GENERAL'S LITERARY AWARD
SHORTLISTED FOR THE ROGER WRITERS' TRUST FICTION AWARD
LONGLISTED FOR THE SCOTIABANK GILLER PRIZE
'Historical fiction at its best' Sunday Telegraph
A mesmerizing epic set in the wilds of 17th century North America, from a Giller Prize-winning author
1640s, The New World
In the remote winter landscape, a brutal massacre and the kidnapping of a young Iroquois girl violently re-ignites a deep rift between two tribes. The girl's captor, Bird, is one of the Huron Nation's great warriors and statesmen. Years have passed since the murder of his family, but they are never far from his mind. In the girl, he recognizes the ghost of his lost daughter, but as he fights for her heart and allegiance, small battles erupt into bigger wars as both tribes face a new, more dangerous threat.
Travelling with the Huron is Christophe, a charismatic missionary who has found his calling among the tribe. An emissary from distant lands, he brings much more than his faith to this new world, with its natural beauty and riches.
As these three souls dance with each other through intricately woven acts of duplicity, their social, political and spiritual worlds collide - and a new nation rises from a world in flux.