Christina Baker Kline, author of Orphan Train and A Piece of the World, is back with her latest offering: The Exiles. The story of three women intertwines in this novel set in the 1840s. Evangeline is a young governess who was taken advantage of by her employer's son and now finds herself with no job, a baby on the way, and a one-way ticket to Australia as a convict. Hazel is a midwife from Scotland who finds herself on the same ship as Evangeline as they both are sent abroad for their alleged crimes. Hazel and Evangeline meet under harsh conditions while on the transport ship. Finally, Mathinna is the 8 year old daughter of an Aboriginal chief, taken by the Governor of Australia as an attempt to "civilize" her. It fails, and she is returned to her people on Flinders' Island, where many aboriginals have been banished to after the English colonizes Australia.
The well-researched, often intimate, story is filled with unflinching details of hardships, horrible living conditions, prejudice, suffering and survival. As each female character develops in her own state of exile, the tenuous bonds of relationships grow and strengthen, making for an ultimately uplifting story.
Michaelle S.
Popular Materials Asst.