David - Hardcover

Robertson, Ray

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 088762412X ISBN 13: 9780887624124

Publisher: Thomas Allen Publishers, 2009

Synopsis

God and whiskey have got me where I am. Too little of the one, too much of the other.--David King, Chatham, Canada, 1895. Born a slave in 1847, but raised as a free man on the world-renowned, African-American Elgin Settlement near present-day Chatham, Ontario, David King is a man whose life has been defined by his violent rebellion against the very person who freed him--the Reverend William King. Far from the pulpit he was intended to fill as the Reverend King's anointed successor, David has lost his faith in God and humanity. He has also turned his back on both his past and his own people by abandoning the Elgin Settlement for nearby Chatham after a final, shattering confrontation with the Reverend King. Undoubtedly, the most unconventional man in town, David is also--thanks to his illegal after-hours tavern, Sophia's, and his highly lucrative grave robbing business--one of Chatham's richest citizens, white or black, and certainly its best read. Triggered by the news of the e

About this title

From the Back Cover:

"Ray Robertson's story of an angry black man living in 19th-century Ontario is a mix of historical accuracy and vivid storytelling." - Globe & Mail "A fascinating historical novel ... a powerful and timeless insight into the human condition." - Northern Terminus: The African Canadian History Journal Born a slave in 1847, but raised as a free man by the Reverend William King, David has rebelled against his emancipator and a future in the church. Now he's a God-cursing, liquor-slinging, money-having, Hobbes-quoting man-about-town, famously educated, fabulously eccentric, and more-or-less happy...till the death of Reverend King brings his past back to haunt him. Inspired by the Elgin Settlement, which by 1852 housed 75 free black families and was studied by Lincoln, Robertson's novel is a fiery look at a community essential to the Underground Railroad's success.

About the Author:

Ray Robertson is the author of the novels, including Home Movies, Heroes, Moody Food, Gently Down the Stream, and What Happened Later, as well as a collection of non-fiction, Mental Hygiene: Essays on Writers and Writing. He is a contributing book reviewer at The Globe and Mail.

About this edition

• Publisher: Thomas Allen Publishers
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 088762412X
• ISBN 13: 9780887624124
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 304