Based on the diaries of a ship’s commander of the 17th century, this intriguing and hard-hitting novel is a book of two halves and brings together the story of two people, Jan a teenage cabin boy on the Dutch ship, Batavia en route to Java and the other Wouter, a young soldier as the brewing discontent aboard becomes ever more unpleasant as they get closer to their destination. But then they’re shipwrecked and marooned on an island just off Western Australia – revolt and discontent becomes the order of the day as water and food is scarce and emotions run high. Drama unfolds even more when they meet the local inhabitants – the aborigines. Jan is enchanted by them, spends more and more time in the aboriginal camp and in time becomes a part of them. This is not just a moving story it also provides a glimpse of life at the time and how different cultures with strange rituals can learn to live together in harmony.
ROSEMARY HAYES lives and works in Cambridgeshire. She has written numerous books for children including historical and contemporary fiction and fantasy. Rosemary lived in Australia for six years, and her first children's novel Race Against Time, set in Australia, was runner-up for the 1987 Kathleen Fidler Award.
