Barry Unsworth has a new novel coming out in January 2012. How terrific is that? It is called The Quality of Mercy. Want it to be even better? It's a sequel to Sacred Hunger!
Here is how the publisher describes it:
In this stirring sequel to the Booker Prize-winning Sacred Hunger, a dramatic clash between haves and have-nots plays out against the vivid backdrop of eighteenth-century England.
It is the spring of 1767 and Erasmus Kemp has brought back fugitive settlers from America, among them Sullivan, an Irish fiddler. As Sullivan sits in jail, charged with playing a role in the loss of Kemp's father's ship, he makes a solemn vow to gain his freedom and personally deliver the news of a shipmate's passing to his family.
Eventually Sullivan's prayers are heard and he manages to escape from jail. But little does he know he is on a direct course to encounter his nemesis once more, as the two men become embroiled in an epic struggle that pits Kemp's insatiable desire for wealth against Sullivan's passionate advocacy for the poor and the powerless. The Quality of Mercy is rich and rewarding historical fiction of the highest order from the master, Barry Unsworth.
It is the spring of 1767 and Erasmus Kemp has brought back fugitive settlers from America, among them Sullivan, an Irish fiddler. As Sullivan sits in jail, charged with playing a role in the loss of Kemp's father's ship, he makes a solemn vow to gain his freedom and personally deliver the news of a shipmate's passing to his family.
Eventually Sullivan's prayers are heard and he manages to escape from jail. But little does he know he is on a direct course to encounter his nemesis once more, as the two men become embroiled in an epic struggle that pits Kemp's insatiable desire for wealth against Sullivan's passionate advocacy for the poor and the powerless. The Quality of Mercy is rich and rewarding historical fiction of the highest order from the master, Barry Unsworth.
I am thrilled. Sacred Hunger is one of the best books I have ever read and Barry Unsworth is one of my favorite novelists ever.
The Quality of Mercy is already out in England and I could ask fabulous friend S to send me a copy but...no. I cannot add to my To Be Read pile. It's taller than it has been in years and all with things I am looking forward to reading. So lust is under control for now but I am not promising that it will stay that way until January.
What do you think of the British cover?
I like it very much. The U.S. cover is nice but a bit dull or maybe conventional is a better word. If I was in love with the Brit cover I would use that as my excuse to get the book immediately. Lucky for me and S that I'm in like, deep like but not love.
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