George & Rue
1st Edition
Published on 31. January 2013
240 pages
978-1-4464-2467-4 (ISBN)
Description
The facts are clear. It was, by all accounts, a "slug-ugly" crime: in 1949, George and Rufus Hamilton, two African Canadians, bludgeoned a taxi driver to death with a hammer in the dirt-poor settlement of Barker's Point, New Brunswick. Less than eight months later, the brothers were hanged for their crime.
George and Rue's brutal act lives on in New Brunswick over half a century later, where the murder site is still known as "Hammertown". George Elliott Clark draws from this disturbing chapter in Canadian history in his first novel, brilliantly reimagining the lives - and deaths - of the two brothers.
Fiercely human and startlingly poignant, George & Rue shifts seamlessly through the killers' pasts, examining just what kind of forces would reduce these men to lives of crime, violence, and ultimately, murder.
George and Rue's brutal act lives on in New Brunswick over half a century later, where the murder site is still known as "Hammertown". George Elliott Clark draws from this disturbing chapter in Canadian history in his first novel, brilliantly reimagining the lives - and deaths - of the two brothers.
Fiercely human and startlingly poignant, George & Rue shifts seamlessly through the killers' pasts, examining just what kind of forces would reduce these men to lives of crime, violence, and ultimately, murder.
Reviews / Votes
George Elliott Clarke writes from the heart as well as the head. No one else has his voice nor his literary fingerprints. He is unique and we should all be grateful -- Alistair MacLeod, author of No Great Mischief George Elliott Clarke... is a treasure of world literature. Every page of this novel has heartbreaking genius -- Howard Norman, author of The Bird Artist This formidably crafted recreation of a desperate episode should win widespread acclaim -- Peter Carty * Independent * The novel has been compared with In Cold Blood, but the voice is entirely Clarke's own rough, uncompromising and ultimately heartbreaking -- Kate Saunders * The Times * George Elliott Clarke has mined his family tree for the poignant story of George and Rue. His heart does not waver in its quest for the courage to shed light on a grievous crime. George & Rue is an extraordinary and poignant first novel. We weep with Clarke while rejoicing in his triumph -- Nikki Giovanni, author of Quilting the Black-Eyed PeaMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Vintage Publishing
File size
1,11 MB
ISBN-13
978-1-4464-2467-4 (9781446424674)
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Person
George Elliott Clarke is an award-winning poet, playwright and screenwriter. He is the author of the novel Whylah Falls and six collections of poetry and a winner of the Governor General's Award in 2001. A seventh-generation African Canadian, Clarke was born in Windsor, Nova Scotia, near the community of Three Mile Plains. He is an associate professor of English at the University of Toronto.
