Mystery. Love story. Period piece. Dare I say, comedy? Francis Spufford’s Golden Hill could be described in many ways, but the only way that matters is as lightning in a bottle. Yes, high praise, but from the very first—admittedly off-puttingly long—sentence, you are on a train you’ll be loath to get off. Snatched up by a whirlwind of secrets and colourful characters set in the ever-worsening cold of a New York winter, circa 1746, before the city was the cramped, grid-lined explosion of culture we know today.

Handsome, charming, quick-talking Mr Smith steps off a boat in a New York harbour with an extortionate order of money in his pocket. His first stop is to cash this bill in. And so begins the excitement. Who is this man? Name and origin (he’s from London, or claims to be) aside, nobody knows, and Mr Smith himself does not offer the answer willingly. In a matter of hours, the entirety of New York—all 11,000 of its citizens—is buzzing with this newly arrived stranger, who seems to have no interest in becoming less of a stranger, not even to the gentleman whose business he acquires in order to cash the bill.

While Mr Smith, or Richard as some call him upon stronger acquaintance, remains an enigma to both the novel’s characters and the reader, there are a plethora of others who are vibrant and much more knowable. Septimus Oakeshott is a sharp-eyed secretary and spymaster to New York’s Governor George Clinton, a man making his fortune in the city while aiding powerful men’s schemes. Though he initially clashes with Mr Smith, whose secrecy is not at all exciting to Septimus, the two become fast friends, and Septimus goes so far as to guide Mr Smith through the tumultuous political web of the city. Whenever both characters are in a scene, it becomes electric, their conversations are second to none in wit and humour, making it impossible to set the book down.

The second character with whom Mr Smith’s skill of smart-talking is matched is Tabitha Lovell, the daughter of Gregory Lovell, whom Mr Smith wishes to handle the large bill. Lovell's suspicion of Mr Smith’s true identity and intentions—is he a thief or an honest man?—underlies every one of Mr Smith and Tabitha’s interactions. She is as quick-witted as he but distinctly less warm, sharp and harsh often when there is no cause for cruelty, labelled a shrew by all who know her. In Mr Smith she has found her equal as they bat references to Shakespeare back and forth. Their conversations are akin to a train crash, yet you’re always left wanting more.

Any scene with Septimus or Tabitha is bound to extract a laugh or two, and should the book focus solely on these two and their evolving relationship with Mr Smith, the book would be one of the funniest I’ve ever read. However, there is more to the story than friendships and love, and Mr Smith encounters many other characters, the majority of whom seem bent on opposing him. His presence in New York hangs in the balance; should his bill be proven false, he will be punished by the law, and should it prove real, his next steps will be watched by all. There are more who harbour suspicions against him than for him, and his quick wit and handsome face can only get him so far, whether it be with the Lovells and Van Loons (the business partner of Lovell), Tabitha’s perky little sister Flora, the English singer Mrs Tomlinson, who amplifies Mr Smith’s homesickness, or the Governor George Clinton and Chief Justice James De Lancey, the leaders of two political parties who are vying for Mr Smith’s support whilst warning him to watch his step.

Mr Smith is not the only one with secrets, and the adventures he inadvertently falls into are simultaneously exciting and deadly. Spufford teases out a romance with Tabitha, thrusts Septimus into an action-packed cat-and-mouse chase, immerses the reader in New York’s buzz and stretches out the mystery of Mr Smith’s identity until the very last page. It is impossible to predict what is coming next, and often Mr Smith is as surprised as the reader. His choices lead him down chaotic paths, solutions found in the nick of time or not at all, and in the midst of his reckless exploits as a young man so far away from home, the truth of his presence in New York is hinted at with strict reserve.

There are two more characters of note who must be addressed. The first is Achilles. He is a black man, enslaved by the Governor and servant to Septimus. Though initially he does not speak much, Achilles shows a strong loyalty and understanding of Septimus, and the true nature of their bond is discovered by Mr Smith, along with Septimus’s intentions for their future. The second character of note is Zephyra, an enslaved house-servant of Gregory Lovell, whose presence in many scenes is marked by her silence. When she speaks, on the occasions she comes face to face with Mr Smith alone, her words carry a weight that Mr Smith does not feel capable of understanding, and both she and Achilles are a sombre reminder to Mr Smith and the reader of the dark truths hidden by the excitement of New York.

Spufford does not shy away from these dark truths. New York is as full of dangers as it is opportunities, and only in the final few chapters of the novel does the reader really understand the position Mr Smith is in and the risk he takes. In a place where a man can be anything he chooses, Spufford does not forget about the women whose choices are restricted due to their gender, or the slaves whose choices are stripped away due to the colour of their skin. He does not cream-skim this era of history, and it is this complexity that takes the novel from entertaining to truly great.

Golden Hill won three distinctive awards: the Costa First Novel Award (2017), the RSL Ondaatje Prize (2017) and the Desmond Elliott Prize (2017). As a debut novel, it is a masterpiece. Expect the unexpected is the best advice I can give before you read it, and Spufford’s history as a non-fiction writer shines through in his detail of old New York. His creative language is bold and expressive, his descriptions are as picturesque as they are factually correct, and his writing style flows like a rushing river, each scene tumbling into the next with the exhilaration of white-water rafting. The journey culminates in a satisfying reveal, allowing each character to be unapologetically themselves while weaving history, literature, midnight chases, flirting, and duels into the tapestry. To anyone and everyone, I say read it.