A reader's guide to English Passengers

Photos.com It is 1857, and Captain Illiam Quillian Kewley has a problem on his hands. His ship, the Sincerity, is a Manx smuggling vessel, and Kewley needs to evade the British Customs. He and his crew set sail for Tasmania, carrying with them three English passengers.

"I have tried to represent this era as truthfully and precisely as possible."

The Reverend Geoffrey Wilson is seeking the true site of the Garden of Eden, having convinced himself that its location is in Tasmania. He is accompanied by Dr Potter, who wants to procure specimens and complete his book on ‘The Destiny of Nations’.

The third passenger, the reluctant young Timothy Renshaw, has been ‘volunteered’ by his parents to be the expedition’s botanist, in the hope that he will reform his behaviour whilst travelling.

Their story is juxtaposed with that of the much-maligned Peevay and the aboriginal people generally. Matthew Kneale’s novel describes their terrible ordeals when Tasmania is seized by British invaders. The author has said: "I have tried to represent this era as truthfully and precisely as possible."

tassiesim under CC-BY-NC licence
Tasmanian sunset [Image: tassiesim under CC-BY-NC licence]

Despite its distressing subject matter, the book is written with great zest and caustic humour. Kneale uses multiple narrators, doing so with skill and consistency: their individual ‘voices’ are convincing and engage the reader’s interest.

The plot flows along relentlessly, the different strands hanging together well. The Manxmen are brought to life with gusto and, fortunately, Kneale has thoughtfully included an Anglo-Manx Glossary.

This exhilarating novel was shortlisted for the Booker Prize 2000 and was the worthy winner of the 2000 Whitbread Book of the Year award.