A woman embarks on a pulse-pounding journey to deliver a fugitive and must confront her own pastalong the way in this rural noir thriller that's "enthralling, unflinching, and beautifully written" (James A. McLaughlin, author of Bearskin ).
"A fugitive story layered in frigid atmosphere, Foster's modern-day-set corker carries an old western appeal." - Entertainment Weekly
In a secessionist rural state that has cut itself off completely from urban centers, where living is hardscrabble but free, Brooke Holland runs a farm with her husband and two daughters. They make barely enough from each harvest to keep going, yet Brooke cherishes the peaceful life they have made together. She has even begun to believe she is free from the violent history she has kept a secret from her family.
When escaped criminal Stephen Cawley attacks at the farm, Brooke's buried talents surface, and she quickly andharshly subdueshim. She is convinced that he has come in retribution for the blood feud she thought she escaped years ago. Brooke sets out with her family to bring Cawley to justice, planning to use the bounty on his head to hide her loved ones far from danger. As winter approaches, and as Brooke's ghosts close in, the ruthlessness that helped her survive her past may become the biggest threat to her hopes for a different future.
Propulsive and haunting, The Captive is a thrilling debut novel about the impossible choices we make to survive and protect the ones we love.
"Dark as an ice-cold winter's night, Fiona King Foster's debut novel is a pitch-perfect noir thriller." -Refinery29
"With this part-feminist Western, part-dystopian odyssey, part just plain-old nerve-jangling thriller, Foster does a terrific job of maintaining the page-turning pace of her narrative-and of Brooke's angst-ridden story. . . . Packed with heart-stopping misadventures, this novel makes outdoor challenge-style outings look like a walk in the park." - Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
Autorentext
FIONA KING FOSTER was raised in Brudenell, Ontario, a rural community now misleadingly referred to as a "ghost town.” Her writing has appeared in the Globe and Mail, Hobart, Maisonneuve, Midway Journal, the New Quarterly, New World Writing, NOON, New York Tyrant, le Panoptique and Room. She lives in Toronto and works with the national literacy organization Frontier College. The Captive is her first novel.
Klappentext
A rural noir about a woman on a pulse-pounding expedition to deliver a fugitive?and forced to confront her own past on the journey
In a secessionist rural state that has cut itself off completely from urban centers, where living is hardscrabble and poor but ?free,? Brooke Holland runs a farm with her husband, Milo, and two daughters. Their life at the fringes of modern society is tenuous?they make barely enough from each harvest to keep going?yet Brooke cherishes the loving, peaceful life they have carved out for themselves. She has even begun to believe she is free from the violent history she has kept a secret from her family.
When escaped criminal Stephen Cawley attacks at the farm, Brooke's buried talents surface, and she manages to quickly and harshly subdue him. She is convinced that he has come in retribution for the blood feud she thought she escaped years ago. Brooke sets out to bring Cawley to justice, planning to use the bounty on his head to hide her family far from danger. Fearing that other members of Cawley's infamous family will soon descend, Brooke insists Milo and the girls flee with her, travelling miles on foot across an unforgiving landscape to reach the nearest marshal. Their journey, started at the onset of winter with little preparation, brings already strained family dynamics to the breaking point. As Brooke's ghosts?both real and imagined?close in, the ruthlessness that let her survive her past may become the biggest threat to her hopes for a different future. What follows is a harrowing exploration of family loyalty, trauma, and resilience.
As haunting and propulsive as it is powerfully written, The Captive is a thrilling debut novel about the impossible choices we make to survive and protect the ones we love.