The Secret River

Kate Grenville's novel 'The Secret River'  published in 2005 is part of a trilogy about early Australia (along with The Lieutenant, published in 2008, and Sarah Thornhill, published in Australia in September 2011).

It's set in the early nineteenth century, on what was then the frontier: the Hawkesbury River, fifty miles beyond  Sydney.

William Thornhill, an illiterate Thames bargeman and a man of quick temper but deep feelings, steals a load of timber and is transported to New South Wales in 1806. Like many of the convicts, he's pardoned within a few years and settles on the banks of the Hawkesbury River. Perhaps the Governor grants him the land or perhaps he just takes it - the Hawkesbury is at the extreme edge of settlement at that time and normal rules don't apply.

His interactions with the Aboriginal people progress from fearful first encounters to (after careful observation) appreciation. The desire for him to own the land contrasts with his wife wanting to return to England and Thornhill will do anything to keep her happy and in Australia 

The story is a terribly tragic account of Australia's earliest history and describes well the confusion, fear and ignorance of the early settlers.

Reading the book made me think about my history - and the history of the white settlement of Southern Africa. It is still an issue there today - land ownership for the black people, especially in rural and farming communities is virtually non-existent. The story of Australia's history is not that different to parts of South Africa and its seems to me that neither have found resolution to the injustices of the past.

This was a great read, a bit dark and brutal in parts, but a fascinating insight into our history nontheless. Highly recommend this book - would obviously make a great book club read. Would we make different choices faced with the options that Thornhill and others faced?