The Secret River, written by Kate Grenville in 2005, is a historical fiction about an early 19th century Englishman transported to Australia for theft. The story explores what may have happened when Europeans colonised land already inhabited by Aboriginal people. The book is also one of careful observation and vividly imagines an early Australian landscape with rich precision. The book has been compared to Thomas Keneally's The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith and to Peter Carey's True History of the Kelly Gang for its style and historical theme. The Secret River was inspired by Grenville's desire... to understand "what had happened when [her ancestor, Solomon] Wiseman arrived [on the Hawkesbury River at the area now known as Wiseman's Ferry] and started the business of 'settling'". Her inspiration to understand this came from her taking part in the 2000-05-28 Reconciliation Walk across Sydney Harbour Bridge during which she realised that she didn't know much about "what had gone on between the Aboriginal people and the settlers in those early days".
more
| Author: | Kate Grenville |
| Genre: | Fiction, Historical fiction |
| Year published: | 2005 |
| Number of editions: | 11 |