My Heart at Evening

by Konrad Muller

I got up heavily. All the unpleasant goings-on at this outpost. On the day of my arrival, Alexander Morton had said some evil was afoot; I wasn’t sure I believed him then, but slurs, and little lies about a key, and the fiddling with the mail. Funny games, I thought, funny games, and the secret language of objects. It all smelt of maliciousness—petty maliciousness. But I still couldn’t quite see how such maliciousness had driven Henry Hellyer to shoot himself.

1832, Van Diemen’s Land. A troubled, unnamed emissary narrates his journey north from Hobart Town to Circular Head (present-day Stanley) where he has been sent to investigate the circumstances surrounding the suicide of Henry Hellyer—surveyor, amateur botanist, artist, and friend to the wife of the Chief Agent in the north.

There he navigates the horror of a fledgling nation. Staying in the deadman’s room, voices come out of the darkness: lies, deceptions, fabrications, and some truth. While he tries to make sense of all the politics, pettiness, and self-preservation, he is fighting demons of his own in this novel that brings to startling life one of our country’s foundational stories. At once a personal reckoning and compelling mystery, My Heart at Evening is an irresistible observation of the forces that shaped Tasmania, and Australia more broadly, from power, to mateship, sexuality, and isolation—forces we still recognise today.

Genres: 21st Century, Historical Fiction

209 pages, Paperback

Published August 30, 2025

Reviews

[Colin Baldwin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A strange and compelling read.
It’s rare for me to change my rating, but in this case it’s upped from 4 to 5 stars.

This novel grabbed me. Not only because it’s set in Tasmania (early 1830s Van Dieman’s Land) with its rich and harsh landscapes and the brutality of convict/early settler life, but also because it’s based on true events and characters, interspersed with some artistic licence that adds to rather than spoils its authenticity.

What puzzled and irked me now and again were the blunt references to the atrocities committed against the Tasmanian Aboriginal people. This seemed cold and dismissive, brushed over.

Then I stumbled upon an informative review that pointed out that this was likely deliberate - perhaps a metaphor, attempts to cover up or minimise what led up to the death by suicide of a surveyor to spare
a company’s reputation - the main premise of the storyline.

Right or wrong, this theory worked for me and reading the review was like a light bulb moment. It gave starker clarity to the themes of this novel.

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm glad to have stumbled across this little gem, and learned a new-to-me true story of colonial Tasmania. Henry Hellyer, a pioneering surveyor of Van Diemens Land, and most of the other characters were real people. The correspondence and suicide note exist and have been reproduced faithfully. The fact of a slur against Hellyer is accurate, although it's source cannot be fully verified. And that makes the start of a fascinating and heartbreaking story.

It wasn't all smooth sailing though. While the story is told mainly in first person perspective, I found the author's decision to occasionally tip over into an unusual use of second person quite jarring until I understood what it represented. And because the first time it occurs is in the first paragraph, it took me a good 20 pages or so (10% of the book!) to settle in. Aside from that, I thought this historical mystery felt really fresh, with quite modern sensibilities evident in the storytelling. I think it's a sign of successful historical fiction that I'm left wanting to dig deeper into the story, to know more.

[E · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a pleasure to read! My Heart at Evening is a sensitive, emotional piece of historical fiction with a mystery at its forefront, and deeply nuanced characters moving the story to its bittersweet conclusion. Muller's masterful characterisation and evocative use of language is what creates the intrigue, what allowed me, the reader, to feel the empathy and loss of those in the story, making it difficult for me to put the book down.

[Gavan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant historical fiction. I loved the structure of the narrator talking to his wife about his investigations. I loved the writing style - very gentle & elegant while still exposing the horrors of colonial Tasmania. I loved the story - well paced & interesting. I loved the interrogation of the themes - convicts, colonial Australia, treatment of the indigenous community, English class structure, homophobia. A gem of a book. And I have to mention the stunning cover and production.

[matthew t]

This was unfortunately a major disappointment. I heard about this novel after its being shortlisted for the Miles Franklin award. It had an intriguing premise, and it is the first publication by the new independent publisher Evercreech Editions. Their mantra is to 'publish the boldest, strangest, and most necessary voices we can find. We value deep thought and burning intensity; work that is formally striking, emotionally resonant, and politically alive.' I was excited, so I went out and bought a copy, glad to support a new figure on the Aust lit landscape. And yet... none of the bold, strange, or necessary was to be found in My Heart at Evening. It turns an interesting premise, built around an interesting piece of history, into a novel that is wholly vapid. It drowns in clichés and disjointed prose. Characters are two dimensional and contradictory, and the investigation carried out by the incredibly unlikable, uncharismatic narrator is ridiculous. It comes off as a poor detective thriller rather than a deep, difficult, delicate piece of genuine historical fiction. Muller's pretentious literary allusions are so poorly placed that they elicit nothing but eyerolls.
My Heart at Evening lacks intrigue, skill, nuance, or charm, despite the potential of its setting.

[Rob Donnelly · Rating 2 out of 5]

I purchased this book believing it must have something to offer given its short-listing for the Miles Franklin. The material informing the short novel certainly offered great potential. The choice of Jorgen Jorgensen as investigator and narrator alone could have made for a gripping read. Sadly the fictional Jorgensen offered in this novel is a vapid character prone to long-winded florid expositions that neither advance the story nor tighten an atmospheric grip, rather than the man Marcus Clarke described as “one of the most interesting human comets recorded in history.” It is a novel that leans into tired old classist tropes about Van Diemen’s Land wherein, regardless of the system that brutalised and used the poor, moral depravity is sure to be assigned to some evil-minded convict.

[James Whitmore · Rating 4 out of 5]

1832 in Van Diemen’s Land, the surveyor Henry Hellyer is found dead in his accommodation at the north west settlement of Circular Head, where the notorious Van Diemen’s Land Company enjoys unrestrained and almost absolute power over land and people. Hearing of the reports, the colony’s Governor, known here as the Skull, charges our narrator, a former field police officer, to investigate. In due course he arrives at the settlement, where he is put up in Hellyer’s room, and sets out to interview various of the company’s employees and convicts. What follows is a tantalising procedural. That Hellyer died by suicide, his room locked from the outside, is accepted as fact; the real line of inquiry is what drove him to it. The narrator — the real Danish adventurer Jorgen “Jorgi” Jorgenson, we learn at length — follows whispers and rumours to uncover the unspeakable. Read more on my blog.

[Bec D · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has many layers to it, being ostensibly an historical fiction and a mystery rolled into one: the investigation into Henry Hellyer’s apparent suicide, an event in Tasmanian history. The mystery makes this book a page turner because: hey, you just wanna to know. But as you are focusing on the mystery, the book, like a magician’s deft hand, is working some other kind of magic on you.

I was incredibly moved by the book’s humanity and the care the writer took to sensitively convey Hellyer’s character. The writing was quite beautiful: “I love the clouds, the passing clouds, the marvellous clouds”.

It explored a possible hypothesis for his death: condemnation through rumour and gossip. And I really felt that damage. By connecting me to an unknown past, it strangely connected me to my present.

It made me reflect on how I’ve been showing up with others. Did I speak kindly or harshly? Have I stood in ignorant judgement of another? What is my own heart at evening?

This book was a great surprise to me because it was unexpected. This is the character of an art form: it has something to say but unlikely to be what you expect. It has stayed with me. I was so moved; I cried; it made me want to be a better person; it made me reflect on the harm we can cause others; it made me me reflect on what harm is perpetrated today through social media; keyboard warriors; cancel culture; it shone yet another light on men’s mental health.

As I post tonight, My Heart At Evening has been long listed for the Miles Franklin Award: the highest literary award in Australia.

I thoroughly recommend it.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a first person account of Jorgen Jorgenson’s second visit to Tasmania/Van Diemen’s Land told in the first person. After a wild ride on both sides of the law across Europe, here Jorgenson is made Special Agent by Governor Arthur (The Skull) to investigate the suicide of Henry Hellyer, Surveyor General of VDL. He was very well known and liked except for his artistic account of the Surrey Hills region south of Wynyard, which led to high but disappointing investment by the VDL Company, Edward Curr, for sheep country. Hellyer shot himself in the head: why? Mainly it seems because of rumours of homosexuality, but were they true? That is basically the heart of the investigation. In telling the story, which is almost quite true historically, Muller gives brilliant descriptions of the Tasmanian countryside, particularly around the NW forests and Circular Cape in particular, and the various characters. This is a slice of Tasmanian history that needs airing.

[Michael Burge · Rating 4 out of 5]

Former convict Jorgen Jorgensen is tasked with investigating the apparent suicide of English surveyor, architect and explorer Henry Hellyer in colonial Van Diemen’s Land. Pitting its characters against the harsh 1830s frontier, Muller’s debut novel unpicks a web of silence and inconsistent evidence that saw Hellyer beleaguered by gossip about his sexual liaisons with male convicts. Ramping up gradually via its tense, tender and detailed prose, this evocative colonial mystery is the first release from Tasmanian imprint Evercreech Editions, and forces us to question whether Hellyer’s death was one of the earliest cases of homophobic retribution masked as self harm.

[Giovanna Walker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed the story, the description of the landscape, it really gives a sense of place. I also enjoyed the slow reveal and the characters and how they were developed. Believable.
As the other reviewer said I REALLY struggled with the second person at the beginning, it REALLY turned me off, and I wasn't going to continue, until I saw that review, I persevered, and was rewarded.
Such a shame about the second person, I don't think the device really worked, as the rest is SO strong, and can't understand why it's not more out there in Australia.

[Suzanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was lucky enough to read this book in the town where it was set. The author faithfully invoked the landscape & brought to life the characters in a manner which made the historical narrative timeless (yet still authentically colonial). Recommend.

[William · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this a while ago but it’s only just been added to this website. Great book, really stayed with me.