Michael Crummey’s Sweetland, is the story of an older man’s struggle to retain his independence in a world that requires strict adherence to a social network for survival. Moses Sweetland, the main character, is named after Sweetland, the small fishing town he lives in. The reason why they share the same name becomes apparent at the end.
The setting is a remote island off the southern coast of Newfoundland where the residents all know each other as well as everybody’s family history dating back to their great-great-grandparents. Nobody locks their doors at night and they all look out for each other. The once abundant cod has been over-fished and commercial fishery, the foundation of their way of life since time immemorial is no longer a viable way to make a living.
The government has offered the residents an attractive compensation package if they relocate. All accept… but Moses Sweetland refuses to leave the home he’s lived in all his life. He manages to trick people into thinking he drowned and remains on the island by himself with no way of contacting the outside world.
That’s when his troubles begin. Resourceful as he might be, his resources are dwindling and he doesn’t have the same energy (at 70 years old) as he once did. He comes to realize that the people he figured he could live without are the ones he longs to be with. The memories of them become alive and he struggles with what is real and what is imagined. As much as he loves his island and his independence, he cannot live without human contact. He must come to terms with his own death as well as the inevitable destruction of his physical world. Nothing is permanent, both Sweetland the man, and Sweetland the island, will eventually disappear.
The characters are unique, loveable and witty––Moses Sweetland will stay with me for quite a long while. The past, present and ‘imagined’ are flawlessly interwoven. A wonderful, thought-provoking read!

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