“How came I to this place?” asks Gabriel Fox when he finds himself at large and out of place in Van Dieman’s Land circa 1840. In the short time we spend with this protagonist, he never does feel at home, but the reader comes to know quite a lot about him and his naivety.
A worthy winner of the Vogel, KM Kruimink writes a convincing tale with solid description of the treacherous untamed Huon Valley, setting the theme of immigrant at the mercy of nature in a landscape that is way too big and uncontrollable for this Englander. The prose is aptly convoluted for the period, yet rather than being tedious, it becomes clearer as you sink into the adventures of Gabriel abroad. The short time frame is a clever device that leaves the reader wanting more of this action packed story.
