The Outlander [Paperback]

Starred Review. Set in 1903, Adamson's compelling debut tells the wintry tale of 19-year-old Mary Boulton ([w]idowed by her own hand) and her frantic odyssey across Idaho and Montana. The details of Boulton's sad past—an unhappy marriage, a dead child, crippling depression—slowly emerge as she reluctantly ventures into the mountains, struggling to put distance between herself and her two vicious brothers-in-law, who track her like prey in retaliation for her killing of their kin. Boulton's journey and ultimate liberation—made all the more captivating by the delirium that runs in the recesses of her mind—speaks to the resilience of the female spirit in the early part of the last century. Lean prose, full-bodied characterization, memorable settings and scenes of hardship all lift this book above the pack. Already established as a writer of poetry (Ashland) and short stories (Help Me, Jacques Cousteau), Adamson also shines as novelist. (Apr.)
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...presented simply... (Pittsburgh-Tribune Review 20080401)

[A] great read — a masterful combination of story and prose style. (David Wroblewski 20071201)

...[The Outlander] is a hallucinatory road novel — or, more accurately, trail novel — written in a chanting prose that's rich with wilderness description, physical adventure and barbed humor...Here's a novel that offers both an intense journey (Mary's) and a portrait of a specific time and place: the Canadian frontier... (Seattle Times 20070801)

...a gorgeous surprise of a book, unfairly neglected by prizes and pundits alike. Stylish and compelling, this novel about a woman's picaresque flight from and toward justice is both elegant in shape and exquisitely written. A powerful and wonderful imagination blossoms here. (Aritha Von Herk Globe and Mail 20070619)

...a great read. Adamson is an impressive stylist who knows how to keep [a]...story moving at a swift and graceful pace. (Quill & Quire 20070624)

...a richly episodic chase novel... (Edmonton Journal 20070624)

...the prose hovers above the Earth, poetic enough not to land, but feeding off the grit....The Outlander is a dark wonder. (Globe and Mail 20071201)

...the prose style of The Outlander is rich with natural details and metaphors. These descriptive ingredients are like cornstarch, serving to thicken the narrative and impart a glaze-like surface to the main dish. Because of its strong narrative line...and Adamson's...true poet's eye for metaphors and details that work, The Outlander is a superior example of the [Gothic] genre. (Toronto Star 20070501)

A novel that was completely overlooked by all the prizes and awards, but is mesmerizing and compellingly suspenseful...A picaresque tour de force. (Aritha Van Herk Calgary Herald 20070501)

Adamson's writing is superb... (Maclean's 20070501)

Gil Adamson has chiselled her characters, polished every word, and turned The Outlander into something magical...Adamson's characters are fully formed, described with nuances and details that make us feel that we really know them. And her writing is beautiful, poetic, descriptive, lyrical...This is a book that lingers in the mind long after the final page has been read. (Guelph Mercury 20080501)

Gil Adamson's The Outlander is, simply enough, a superb novel and one senses in the fine writing the potential, or perhaps the eventuality, of a major writer. The frayed material of the North American west is rendered in astonishingly fresh light. The Outlander is also suspenseful to a degree that you are often in a state of physical unrest, a condition only occasioned by first-rate fiction. (Jim Harrison 20070501)

Gil Adamson's first novel bolts off the opening page...An absorbing adventure from a Canadian poet and short story writer who knows how to keep us enthralled...The Girl Being Chased is one of the most enduring figures of chivalric and chauvinistic literature...a strikingly pensive novel, anchored by the stark beauty of its setting and the harsh wisdom of its narrator...Adamson is as captivating with descriptions of vast mountain ranges as she is with the smaller calamities...her story will unsettle your dreams just the same. (Washington Post 20090109)

In the tradition of Guy Vanderhaeghe, this is a dark novel with a long finish. It should age well. (Sun Times (Owen Sound) 20080501)

Striking, thoughtful, full of unexpected twists, The Outlander is that rare delight: a novel that is beautifully written yet as gripping as any airport page-turner...Adamson, a Toronto-based poet, must possess either an impressive collection of reference books or a powerful imagination — or both...This is a serious, literary book that moves far beyond genre or gender stereotypes. (Guardian 20090109)

The Outlander deserves to be read twice, first for the plot and the complex characters which make this a page-turner of the highest order, and then a second time, slowly, to savor the marvel of Gil Adamson's writing. This novel is a true wonder. (Ann Patchett 20090109)

The Outlander, a strikingly good first novel by the Canadian poet Gil Adamson...reads like a pastiche Western with elements of supernatural grotesquerie out of Stephen King or even The X-Files...The author writes well on the supernatural chill of the Canadian outback at nightfall. (Spectator (U.K.) 20080801)

This is an old-fashioned adventure story — with a dark fairy-tale element. (Financial Times 20070624)

This uncommon first novel by Gil Adamson combines a thrilling adventure story with polished literary technique. (Canadian Literature 20080808)

Throughout the novel, Adamson's keen eye for detail and mastery of language are much in evidence in her descriptions of the natural surroundings. (Winnipeg Free Press 20071007)

For readers who want a cracking good story with unforgettable characters engaged in tension-filled activities, and told with a superlative richness of language and a lushness of imagery, Gil Adamson's novel, The Outlander, is it. Her widow, Mary Boulton, and Bonny, her Reverend, are the ideal stuff and stuffings of legends. (January Magazine 20090509)

As novels go, The Outlander should qualify for Great Canadian status...Described by author Gil Adamson herself as 'literary gothic western,' The Outlander is perhaps the only book of this genre, but it seems at home among such Canadian classics as Susanna Moodie's Roughing It in the Bush [and] Margaret Atwood's Alias Grace... (Fast Forward Weekly 20080501)

One of those books so gorgeous in the writing that you simultaneously can't wait to read what happens next and want to savour the beauty of the writing. (Herald Tribune 20070501)

The Outlander is a riveting tale of a woman's thirst for freedom. (Entertainment Weekly 20080201)

A remarkable first novel, full of verve, beautifully written, and with all the panache of a great adventure. (Michael Ondaatje )

...[a] compelling debut...lean prose, full-bodied characterization, memorable settings and scenes of hardship all lift this book above the pack. (Publishers Weekly )