Synopsis:

Seduced by her employer’s son, Evangeline, a naïve young governess in early nineteenth-century London, is discharged when her pregnancy is discovered and sent to the notorious Newgate Prison. After months in the fetid, overcrowded jail, she learns she is sentenced to “the land beyond the seas,” Van Diemen’s Land, a penal colony in Australia. Though uncertain of what awaits, Evangeline knows one thing: the child she carries will be born on the months-long voyage to this distant land.

During the journey on a repurposed slave ship, the Medea, Evangeline strikes up a friendship with Hazel, a girl little older than her former pupils who was sentenced to seven years transport for stealing a silver spoon. Canny where Evangeline is guileless, Hazel—a skilled midwife and herbalist—is soon offering home remedies to both prisoners and sailors in return for a variety of favors.

Though Australia has been home to Aboriginal people for more than 50,000 years, the British government in the 1840s considers its fledgling colony uninhabited and unsettled, and views the natives as an unpleasant nuisance. By the time the Medea arrives, many of them have been forcibly relocated, their land seized by white colonists. One of these relocated people is Mathinna, the orphaned daughter of the Chief of the Lowreenne tribe, who has been adopted by the new governor of Van Diemen’s Land.

Aboard a dirty, cruel transportation ship to Van Diemen’s Land for female convicts, Evangeline and Hazel battle sickness, abuse, gruel work, and shunning for their past crimes. Mathinna, a young chief’s daughter stolen from her native land, struggles learning the ways of a people far different from her own. Set in the mid 1800’s, The Exiles gives an in depth look into a part of Australian history often forgotten. Told by multiple different perspectives, it is a beautifully interwoven story of suffering, redemption, friendships, and womanly strength. 

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What You Can Expect:

This historical fiction follows several women and highlights a relatively unknown time in Australian history. It is a book filled with heavy topics that features themes of friendship and resiliency. You can expect intertwining points of view and hard yet powerful moments throughout.

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Content Warnings:

Language: Moderate – Language used throughout

Sexual Content: Moderate to Heavy – Sex between characters mentioned and described, not explicit. Prostitution. Sexual assault.

Violence: Moderate to Heavy: Abuse, sexual assault, slavery, violence all in varying degrees, but mostly described and harsh. Death, including child death.

Substance Use: Moderate: Alcohol and drug use mentioned throughout

Prejudices: Moderate to Heavy: Racism, classism, sexism

Religious Themes: References to religion and church, not over all theme

Other Topics: Pregnancy out of wedlock, abortion, miscarriage