Books like Sweetland by Michael Crummey

For twelve generations, the people of a remote Newfoundland island have lived and died together. In the second decade of the 21st century, each resident is offered a generous compensation package to leave, but the offer applies to everyone. Gradually, all but one surrender to the inevitable: old Moses Sweetland. Motivated by a deep sense of history and belonging, and concerned that his eccentric great-nephew will wilt on the mainland, Moses resists the coercion of family and friends in order to hold onto the only place he has ever called home. As his options dwindle, he concocts a scheme to remain the island’s sole living resident. Cut off from the outside world, with the food supply waning and weather eroding the last evidence of human habitation, Sweetland finds himself in the company of ghosts. Written with emotional depth, the story explores loyalty, courage, and the human will to persist even when all hope seems lost.

First publish date: 2014