Rage the Night

A Novel

By: Donna Morrissey

Narrated by: Jonathan Watton

National Bestseller

At once the intimate tale of one man's quest to discover the truth of his birth and a riveting account of a real-life Newfoundland tragedy from 1914, brilliantly and sensitively imagined by one of Canada's most beloved and bestselling authors.

When a deathbed confession uncovers secrets about his birth, twenty-year-old Roan—who has always believed himself an orphan, with no last name—sets off on a quest to discover the truth of his origins. His journey takes him across the snow-covered landscape of Newfoundland from the remote Northern Peninsula to St. John's and then onto the Newfoundland, one of the rickety and poorly equipped ships heading out to the sealing grounds for the spring hunt.

Between his farewell to Dr. Grenfell, the man who raised, educated, and cared for Roan since his toddlerhood, and the final discovery that will alter his life forever, Roan is tossed both emotionally and physically into harrowing situations that he could never have imagined. The people Roan meets along his journey are vivid and unforgettable, from young Ila, isolated and desperate as her mother coughs her life away in a frigid cabin, to the hulking, volcanic, unknowable Ashur Genge, whose own heartbreaking secret may hold the key to Roan's deepest desire.

As Roan's personal story entwines with the historical tale of the Newfoundland disaster, it is “the b'ys”—the simple men who risk their lives year after year on the ice—their brotherhood, their resilience, their heart, and their humour that carry him through tragedy and beyond.

Rage the Night showcases Donna Morrissey's extraordinary empathy, her remarkable characters, and her unique literary voice; it is a masterwork from one of our finest storytellers.

©2023 Donna Morrissey (P)2023 Viking

Critic reviews

"A search for identity becomes a struggle to survive in a merciless place. Donna Morrissey tells a powerful story with eloquence and indelible detail—of people and a place in a time soon to be lost to living memory."—Linden MacIntyre, award-winning author of The Bishop's Mand and The Winter Wives

"Rage the Night is as fleet and mercurial as a violent storm at sea. Morrisey has created an unforgettable character in Roan. . . . This gothic winter tale is propelled by the sublime majesty of Northern Peninsula of Newfoundland and the malevolent howl of nature echoing throughout. Think Bronte’s Wuthering Heights and Steinbeck’s East of Eden set in late the early 1900’s on the ice pans of the North Atlantic. Think hunger, greed and secrets dark and sinister as a lunar eclipse. Think plot twists as volatile as dynamite in hard-packed ice. Tie yourself to the mast. Donna Morrisey is at the top of her game."—Lisa Moore, award-winning author of Caught and This is How We Love

"Rage the Night holds the ice and flame of secrets and shames. An ode, a testimony, a heart song of a people and place. You’ll want to wrap yourself around her characters, willing them to keep walking."—Shandi Mitchell, award-winning author of Under this Unbroken Sky and The Waiting Hours