Monday's Pick: The Secret River

The Secret River by Kate Grenville 2005

If you like colonial fiction, The Secret River by Kate Grenville will not disappoint! It is the beautifully written story of a British family’s struggle to make a new life for themselves in Australia in the early 1800s. The novel begins in impoverished London, England, where Will Thornhill is born, one of many children of kind parents with little means to feed so many mouths. He grew up tough and proud, and eventually married his childhood sweetheart, Sarah. Will was a boatman, rowing people, and goods, along the Thames for a meager salary. Caught stealing one day in order to feed his growing family, Will is immediately imprisoned, then exiled to a penal colony in Australia for his crime. His wife and children follow, and they all must find a way to live among their fellow expatriates, as well as the aborigines, whose land is being overtaken by the new settlers. Rich and vivid descriptions of the landscapes, the people, the food, and the desperation make this a gripping read. Grenville has a direct, but lyrical, way with words.