The Adversary (2024) by Michael Crumney

 Book Review

The Adversary (2024)

by Michael Crumney

   Every year for the past decade I've spent about a week in coastal Maine.  It is an absolutely great place to vacation, because even at the very height of tourist season it feels less crowded than any Southern California city on a Monday afternoon at 3 PM.   The yearly visits have helped me realized just how much of Maine there is, and beyond that, Newfoundland and the "Atlantic Provinces," which are even more thinly populated than Maine and go on forever.  I leapt at the chance to check out this The Adversary by Michael Crumney as a library Audiobook, if only to hear the wacky Newfoundland accents- in fact, the New York Times actually published a stand-alone review for the Audiobook of this title- something they only started doing this year. 

   Set in Mockbeggar, a fictional coastal town in Newfoundland, during the early 19th century, The Adversary is mostly about the conflict between siblings, he, a profound ruffian who lords over the population by virtue of his inheritance and position as justice of the peace in the small, isolated community; and she, his older sister, who manages to marry and bury the second wealthiest trader in the community, allowing her to live her live as "the widow," dressing as a man and running her business.  It is a dark and gory business- almost shockingly so at times.  Some of the incidents left me breathless.  Crumney buffs out the cast of characters to include the brother's main supporter, the town Beedle, the brother's crew of prostitutes that he imports to the town and sundry others.  The sister has the support of the men and families of those who work for her, and the general sympathy of the townfolk, who think her brother is a royal asshole. 

   One thing that The Adversary lacks is any scenery besides the rocky Newfoundland close.  Whether by design or accident, by the end of The Adversary I was ready to leave these shores and make my way to greener pastures.