The Purchase - Softcover

'The haunting story of an early American Quaker family that kept me up all night till I'd read it. This 6-out-of-5 book is as gut-wrenching as it is beautiful and won't let you go, even if you wanted it to.' --The Bookbag

In Spalding s superb, superior historical-literary novel, the purchase is that of a slave boy by a Quaker widower, Daniel Dickinson, in 1780s Virginia. With five children to care for, and a hasty marriage to a young servant, Daniel s conflict between religion and his needs is played out against an intriguing, yet moving, tale of murder. --Lesley McDowell, The Herald

'In The Purchase, one man's unsettling betrayal of his own moral code creates unforeseen ripples that sweep over multiple generations. Thanks to Spalding;s compassion and the singulat brilliance of her narration, this transfixing novel weaves a tale that is both intimate in nature and, ultimately, huge in scope.' --Gil Adamson, author of The Outlander

In 1798, Daniel Dickinson, a young Quaker father and widower, leaves his home in Pennsylvania to establish a new life. He sets out with two horses, a wagon full of belongings, his five children, a 15-year-old orphan wife, and a few land warrants for his future homestead. When Daniel suddenly trades a horse for a young slave, Onesimus, it sets in motion a struggle in his conscience that will taint his life forever, and sets in motion a chain of events that lead to two murders and the family's strange relationship with a runaway slave named Bett. Stripped down and as hard-edged as the realities of pioneer life, Spalding's writing is nothing short of stunning, as it instantly envelops the reader in the world and time of the novel, and follows the lives of unforgettable characters. Inspired by stories of the author's own ancestors, The Purchase is a resonant, powerful and timeless novel.