Barkskins

Longlisted for the Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction 2017

A New York Times Book of the Year

From Annie Proulx, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Shipping News and Brokeback Mountain, comes her masterwork: an epic, dazzling, and magnificently dramatic novel about the decimation of the world’s forests.

In the late seventeenth century, two penniless young Frenchmen, René Sel and Charles Duquet, arrive in New France. Bound to a feudal lord, or "seigneur," in exchange for land after three years of service, they are tasked with clearing vast tracts of forest. René Sel, enduring immense hardship and oppression, is coerced into marrying a Mi’kmaw woman. Their descendants find themselves perpetually caught between clashing cultures. In contrast, the cunning and ruthless Charles Duquet flees from his obligations, first becoming a fur trader and eventually founding a timber empire.

The narrative spans over three centuries and follows the extensive lineage of Sel and Duquet. Their stories crisscross North America, Europe, China, and New Zealand, navigating through gripping and often brutal conditions: from raucous rivalries and personal vendettas to accidents, diseases, and Indigenous attacks. Throughout, Proulx vividly illustrates the relentless pursuit and exploitation of seemingly boundless natural resources, culminating in a sobering confrontation with the spectre of ecological collapse in contemporary times.

Annie Proulx’s unparalleled genius lies in her ability to create characters that leap off the page, their traits of greed, lust, revenge, compassion, and hope compelling readers to follow their sagas with unwavering intensity. Barkskins encapsulates her finest work—a brilliant conflation of historical fact and imaginative prowess that provides a profound meditation on humanity’s complex relationship with nature.

Recognised as one of the most formidable and compelling voices in American literature, Annie Proulx has crafted a monumental novel with Barkskins, delivering a powerful statement on the inevitable consequences of environmental exploitation and the resilience of both nature and humanity.