The Purchase

In 1798, a young Quaker father and widower leaves his home in Pennsylvania with his 15-year-old orphan wife and his five children to a establish a new life. When he soon finds himself the owner of a young slave boy, a chain of events is set in motion that will lead to two murders and the family's strange relationship with a runaway slave named Bett.
Lyrical and as hard-edged as the realities of pioneer life, Spalding's writing is nothing short of stunning. Her characters and their stories are unforgettable. Atmospheric and gripping, powerful and morally complex, the novel is timeless.