The Outlander

“Gil Adamson’s first novel bolts off the opening page … An absorbing adventure from a Canadian poet and short story writer who knows how to keep us enthralled … A strikingly pensive novel, anchored by the stark beauty of its setting and the harsh wisdom of its narrator … Adamson is as captivating with descriptions of vast mountain ranges as she is with the smaller calamities … Her story will unsettle your dreams just the same.” —Washington Post

“The Outlander, a strikingly good first novel by the Canadian poet Gil Adamson … reads like a pastiche Western with elements of supernatural grotesquerie out of Stephen King or even The X-Files … The author writes well on the supernatural chill of the Canadian outback at nightfall.” —Spectator

“Striking, thoughtful, full of unexpected twists, The Outlander is that rare delight: a novel that is beautifully written yet as gripping as any airport page-turner … Adamson, a Toronto-based poet, must possess either an impressive collection of reference books or a powerful imagination — or both … This is a serious, literary book that moves far beyond genre or gender stereotypes.” —Guardian

“A gorgeous surprise of a book … Stylish and compelling, this novel about a woman’s picaresque flight from and toward justice is both elegant in shape and exquisitely written. A powerful and wonderful imagination blossoms here.” —Globe and Mail

“Throughout the novel, Adamson’s keen eye for detail and mastery of language are much in evidence in her descriptions of the natural surroundings.” —Winnipeg Free Press

“The prose style of The Outlander is rich with natural details and metaphors. These descriptive ingredients are like cornstarch, serving to thicken the narrative and impart a glaze-like surface to the main dish. Because of its strong narrative line … and Adamson’s true poet’s eye for metaphors and details that work, The Outlander is a superior example of the [Gothic] genre.” —Toronto Star

“Adamson’s writing is superb.” —Maclean’s

“Impeccably shaped, wonderfully written … pure aesthetic beauty … A picaresque tour de force.” —Calgary Herald

“The Outlander is a riveting tale of a woman’s thirst for freedom.” —Entertainment Weekly

“One of those books so gorgeous in the writing that you simultaneously can’t wait to read what happens next and want to savour the beauty of the writing.” —Herald Tribune

“For readers who want a cracking good story with unforgettable characters engaged in tension-filled activities, and told with a superlative richness of language and a lushness of imagery, Gil Adamson’s novel, The Outlander, is it. Her widow, Mary Boulton, and Bonny, her Reverend, are the ideal stuff and stuffings of legends.” —January Magazine

“As novels go, The Outlander should qualify for Great Canadian status … Described by author Gil Adamson herself as ‘literary gothic western,’ The Outlander is perhaps the only book of this genre, but it seems at home among such Canadian classics as Susanna Moodie’s Roughing it in the Bush [and] Margaret Atwood’s Alias Grace.” —Fast Forward Weekly

“Mary Boulton is one of the most memorable characters in Canadian literature in years.” —Nuvo Magazine

“Gil Adamson has chiselled her characters, polished every word, and turned The Outlander into something magical … Adamson’s characters are fully formed, described with nuances and details that make us feel that we really know them. And her writing is beautiful — poetic, descriptive, lyrical … This is a book that lingers in the mind long after the final page has been read.” —Guelph Mercury

“In the tradition of Guy Vanderhaeghe, this is a dark novel with a long finish. It should age well.” —Sun Times

“This uncommon first novel by Gil Adamson combines a thrilling adventure story with polished literary technique.” —Canadian Literature

“This is an old-fashioned adventure story — with a dark fairy-tale element.” —Financial Times

“Adamson is an impressive stylist.” —Quill & Quire

“[A] compelling debut … Lean prose, full-bodied characterization, memorable settings and scenes of hardship all lift this book above the pack.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review

“The Outlander deserves to be read twice, first for the plot and the complex characters which make this a page-turner of the highest order, and then a second time, slowly, to savour the marvel of Gil Adamson’s writing. This novel is a true wonder.” —Ann Patchett, PEN/Faulkner Prize–winning author of Bel Canto

“A remarkable first novel, full of verve, beautifully written, and with all the panache of a great adventure.” —Michael Ondaatje, Man Booker Prize–winning author of The English Patient

“Gil Adamson’s The Outlander is, simply enough, a superb novel, and one senses in the fine writing the potential, or perhaps the eventuality, of a major writer. The frayed material of the North American West is rendered in astonishingly fresh light. The Outlander is also suspenseful to a degree that you are often in a state of physical unrest, a condition only occasioned by first-rate fiction.” —Jim Harrison, author of Legends of the Fall

“[A] great read — a masterful combination of story and prose style.” —David Wroblewski, author of Oprah’s Book Club pick The Story of Edgar Sawtelle

“This remarkable novel opens at full gallop and never slows. Adamson has seamlessly merged a compelling narrative with poetic language to create a work that is full of beauty and heart and wonder.” —Ron Rash, author of PEN/Faulkner Prize finalist Serena