The Purchase

Praise

“Singular. . . . A wonderful novel. . . . The realities of the characters, their fears and other emotions, are both individual and universal.” —John Irving

“Powerful. . . . Passages of pure poetry. . . . [Spalding’s] novel claws at the deepest nerve of American history.” —The Rumpus 

“Haunting and beautiful. . . . Brilliantly depicts the indelible stain that slavery has left on the moral fabric of America.” —Richmond Times-Dispatch
 
“Beautifully written, emotionally evocative, gripping, engaging, and truthful.” —The New York Journal of Books

“Engrossing. . . . One of the finest historical novels in recent years.” —National Post

“Eerily compelling. . . . Haunting. . . . Mesmerizing lyricism. . . . Imbued with the power of myth.” —The Globe and Mail (Toronto)

“Grippingly immersive. . . . Visceral, emotionally resonant.” —The Toronto Star

“Impressively original. . . . Spalding shows a command of workaday historical detail. . . . [The] principal characters are complex, and cerebral. . . . This novel’s dual book-prize nominations are much deserved.” —Winnipeg Free Press

“With meticulous yet seamless attention to historical detail, Linda Spalding transports the reader to eighteenth-century Virginia in her mesmerizing novel. . . . The Purchase is an epic novel in every way that matters—in scope, depth, and heart.” —Jury Citation, Rogers Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize

“In The Purchase, one man’s unsettling betrayal of his own moral code creates unforeseen ripples that sweep over multiple generations. Thanks to Spalding’s compassion and the singular brilliance of her narration, this transfixing novel weaves a tale that is both intimate in nature and, ultimately, huge in scope.” —Gil Adamson, author of The Outlander

“A poised and moving novel about the indignities of slavery and the moral stain at the inception of the American republic. The astonishing historical detail never detracts from the poignancy of the characters or the compelling narrative, which quickly swells into a drama of blood, betrayal and belonging.” —Caryl Phillips, author of A Distant Shore

“Spalding captures the grim particulars of slave life with unflinching yet restrained detail. . . . A serious, probing look at the interaction of character and environment during a seminal period in American history.” —Kirkus Reviews