Publisher Description

On the white frontier in mid-nineteenth century Australia, a lone, bloodied woman arrives at a traveller's rest in the midst of a violent desert storm with a shocking story to tell. Aboriginal people have allegedly murdered her husband and stolen her infant child. But an Aboriginal woman has a different story to tell. What would cause a missionary's wife to lie? What chance does the word of an Aboriginal woman have against hers?A chilling mystery that draws together the lives of four extraordinary women and their men, all struggling to survive in a hostile and misunderstood landscape.

Author Biography

Andrew Bovell is a critically acclaimed Australian playwright and screenwriter.His theatre credits include Things I Know To Be True (Frantic Assembly and the State Theatre Company of South Australia, 2016); The Secret River (Sydney Theatre Company, 2013 Sydney Festival and 2016 national tour, winner of six Helpmann Awards including Best Play, as well as Best New Work Sydney Theatre Awards); When the Rain Stops Falling (Brink Production/State Theatre Company, 2008 Adelaide Festival, Almeida Theatre, Lincoln Centre NYC, winner of five Lucille Lortell Awards). Earlier works include Speaking in Tongues and Holy Day.Film credits include Strictly Ballroom, A Most Wanted Man, Edge of Darkness, Blessed, Lantana, and Head On.Author photo by Stephen Butler

Review

'Bovell turns to the mythology of the lost child in the landscape but not in any romantic or half-hearted sense. It packs too much of a punch for that and may well haunt you for a long time after.'Bryce Hallett, Sydney Morning Herald

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