Amity
from the Booker-longlisted author of The Sweetness of Water
Published on 2. September 2025
Book
Hardback
320 pages
978-1-0354-0468-1 (ISBN)
Description
The highly anticipated second novel from the author of the Booker-longlisted THE SWEETNESS OF WATER
'Amity is deeply adventurous and astonishingly beautiful' Robert Jones, Jr., author of The Prophets
'I didn't want to put the book down' ? ? ? ? ? reader review
'A writer of great lyricism and power' i paper
'I had tears streaming down my face for the last chapter and epilogue' ? ? ? ? ? reader review
'Harris will win over the hearts of many readers' Financial Times
'It is simply A D#MN GOOD BOOK' ? ? ? ? ? reader review
'Masterful' Oprah Winfrey
Louisiana, 1869. The Civil War might be over, but former slaves Coleman and June have yet to find the freedom they've been promised. Two years ago, the siblings were separated when their old master, Mr Harper, took June away on a hair-brained scheme to Mexico, to escape the new reality of the post-war South. Coleman stayed behind to serve the Harper family, clinging to the hope that Mr Harper would one day bring June back to him.
When an unexpected letter from Mr Harper arrives, summoning Coleman and the Harper family to Mexico, Coleman believes his prayers have been answered. But what he cannot know is the tangled truth of June's tribulations and Mr Harper's true intentions. As Coleman and June separately navigate a perilous, parched landscape to find their way back to each other, they learn quickly that freedom isn't always given - sometimes, it must be taken by force.
THE SWEETNESS OF WATER:
A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER, OPRAH BOOK CLUB PICK, AN OBAMA SUMMER READING SELECTION, SHORTLISTED FOR THE DYLAN THOMAS PRIZE, LONGLISTED FOR THE BOOKER PRIZE
'Amity is deeply adventurous and astonishingly beautiful' Robert Jones, Jr., author of The Prophets
'I didn't want to put the book down' ? ? ? ? ? reader review
'A writer of great lyricism and power' i paper
'I had tears streaming down my face for the last chapter and epilogue' ? ? ? ? ? reader review
'Harris will win over the hearts of many readers' Financial Times
'It is simply A D#MN GOOD BOOK' ? ? ? ? ? reader review
'Masterful' Oprah Winfrey
Louisiana, 1869. The Civil War might be over, but former slaves Coleman and June have yet to find the freedom they've been promised. Two years ago, the siblings were separated when their old master, Mr Harper, took June away on a hair-brained scheme to Mexico, to escape the new reality of the post-war South. Coleman stayed behind to serve the Harper family, clinging to the hope that Mr Harper would one day bring June back to him.
When an unexpected letter from Mr Harper arrives, summoning Coleman and the Harper family to Mexico, Coleman believes his prayers have been answered. But what he cannot know is the tangled truth of June's tribulations and Mr Harper's true intentions. As Coleman and June separately navigate a perilous, parched landscape to find their way back to each other, they learn quickly that freedom isn't always given - sometimes, it must be taken by force.
THE SWEETNESS OF WATER:
A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER, OPRAH BOOK CLUB PICK, AN OBAMA SUMMER READING SELECTION, SHORTLISTED FOR THE DYLAN THOMAS PRIZE, LONGLISTED FOR THE BOOKER PRIZE
Reviews / Votes
Harris deploys a rich, supple prose as he explores differing notions of freedom and love in a highly accomplished novel * Sunday Times * Smart, sensitive and very assured... Harris's perceptive writing of the fraught relationships between Amity's central characters is outstanding. A warm-hearted and worthy contribution to the American literature of emancipation * AK Blackmore, Guardian * A powerful meditation on loss, loyalty and the price of survival * i-paper * Harris expertly sets his various storylines rolling in this fast-moving tale, by turns piquant and poignant . . . terrifically entertaining * Daily Mail * Beautifully lyrical book * Adele Parks, Platinum * Harris writes with a sparseness and beauty that mirror the landscape of Mexico * Monocle Magazine * Written in beautiful prose that alternates between the first and third person, Amity is a hugely compelling read * Hot Press Magazine * Nathan Harris proves once again that he is one of the greatest literary minds of our generation. The appropriately titled Amity is a mightily engrossing tale, filled with magnificently realized and unforgettable characters in a world that is so thoroughly imagined. Harris employs such careful, balanced storytelling, crafting a novel that is at once harrowing and gentle, dangerous but romantic. Readers will find that for every sorrow there is a joy and for every fool there is a lesson. And it is all woven together with such impeccable prose. Amity is a deeply adventurous and astonishingly beautiful book -- Robert Jones, Jr., author of The Prophets, a finalist for the 2021 National Book Award for Fiction To call Nathan Harris's Amity a standout novel doesn't do it enough justice. The writing is flawless, the characters unforgettable and, most importantly, the story the world Harris builds never lets us go. A brilliantly executed book -- Jason Mott, author of Hell of a Book I fell into this stunning novel as into another world, with the shock of encountering something truly original. An epic tale of a budding genius pulled through the borderlands, AMITY is harrowing, often beautiful, and deeply moving -- Andrea Barrett, author of Ship Fever and Natural History Harris returns with another transporting historical novel...[A] glorious Western-style melodrama * Oprah Daily * Coleman, an empathetic soul, is the heart of Harris's character-driven western, giving this harrowing tale sweetness, while June manifests the fortitude to survive as a recently emancipated Black woman in the nascent American Southwest * Washington Post * One of those novels you want to savour. I found myself rereading entire passages just to absorb the richness of every word. Wholly engaging all the senses and fully immersive, Amity brings to life an important historical moment I knew nothing about, one that deserves to be taught in schools. It's a recipe for literary greatness -- Sadeqa Johnson, New York Times bestselling author of The House of EveMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Headline Publishing Group
Product notice
Trade binding
Dimensions
Height: 235 mm
Width: 159 mm
Thickness: 34 mm
Weight
512 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-0354-0468-1 (9781035404681)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
09/2025
Tinder Press
€7.99
Available for download
Person
Nathan Harris is the author of the New York Times bestseller The Sweetness of Water, which was an Oprah's Book Club pick and was longlisted for the Book Prize, shortlisted for the Dylan Thomas Prize and won the Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence. He holds an MFA from the Michener Center at the University of Texas, and lives in Chicago.