Canaan's Tongue

Description

Written by the prizewinning author of "The Right Hand of Sleep", this novel is set on the eve of the Civil War, about a gang of men hunted by both the Union and the Confederacy for dealing in stolen slaves. It tells the story of his reluctant protege, Virgil Ball, who derives riches, sexual privilege, and power from the commerce in stolen slaves.

Promotion info

A second novel from a young writer who could well become one of America's most distinguished novelists. A brilliantly macabre tale of 19th century corruption in the deep south that aims, through historical analogy, to say things about the dark heart of today's America.

Reviews

"His first novel, The Right Hand of Sleep received extraordinary reviews in the UK and US: 'An astonishingly assured and mature first novel' Publishers Weekly. 'Atruly arresting work of fiction.... Is it really possible, the reader will wonder, for a young American to have written such a book? 'The New York Times Book Review. 'The Right Hand of Sleep make[s] another time seem astonishingly alive.' Chicago Tribune"

Author description

John Wray was born in Washington, D.C., and has since lived in Texas, Alaska, Chile, and New York. His first novel, The Right Hand of Sleep, was highly acclaimed in both the UK and US, where it was a New York Times Notable Book and a Los Angeles Times's Best Book of the Year. Wray is the recipient of a Whiting Writers' Award. He currently lives in Brooklyn, New York.