A Treacherous Country

by K.M. Kruimink

WINNER OF THE AUSTRALIAN/VOGEL'S LITERARY AWARD

There is a woman, somewhere, here, in Van Diemen's Land, unless she had died or otherwise departed, called Maryanne Maginn.

Gabriel Fox, the young son of an old English house, arrives in a land both ancient and new.

Drawn by the promise of his heart's desire, and compelled to distance himself from pain at home, Gabriel begins his quest into Van Diemen's Land.

His guide, a Cannibal who is not all he seems, leads him north where Gabriel might free himself of his distracting burden and seek the woman he must find. As Gabriel traverses this wild country, he uncovers new truths buried within his own memory.

Authentic, original and playful, A Treacherous Country is a novel of loyalty, wisdom and the freedom to act.

'Warm and lively...a witty, Tasmanian Moby Dick' - Tegan Bennett Daylight, acclaimed author of Six Bedrooms

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Tasmania, Australia, Ebooks

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2020

Reviews

[Michael Livingston · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fascinatingly odd book - funny, strange, kind of a romp, but with serious interests at its core. It's about a bumbling twenty-something English middle-class man stumbling cluelessly around Tassie in the 1830s. There's a motley cast of characters, jokes and a complicated cruelty at its heart. I found it hugely entertaining - it seems to be dreadfully under-promoted and deserves a wider readership than it's getting.

[Katie Lumsden · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this - an engaging, adventurous, intriguing read, with great character psychology and an interesting exploration of 19th century thought. I could have done with a little more at the end - there was so much left ambiguous - but overall I really liked it.

[Amanda - Mrs B's Book Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

*https://mrsbbookreviews.wordpress.com

On April 20th 2020, The Australian/Vogel Literary Award was announced online as K.M. Kruimink, for her manuscript A Treacherous Country. Allen and Unwin has published Kruimink’s award winning piece and it was a great pleasure to be able to review A Treacherous Country. A novel told with wide eyed naivety, wit and historical insight, Kruimink’s prize winning book is a strong literary offering.

A Treacherous Country charts the incredible journey of Gabriel Fox, an Englishman who arrives on the menacing shores of notorious convict country, Van Diemen’s Land. Gabriel is tasked with the job of finding a woman who first set foot on Van Diemen’s Land some thirty years ago. What follows is a tough, as well as eye opening adventure. With a figure named Cannibal accompanying him, Gabriel crosses dangerous terrain. Along the way Gabriel confronts hard truths about his new environment, his mission and his past. A unique story that is credible, vivid and spirited, A Treacherous Country is an astonishing record of the past.

The recipient of one of Australia’s most lucrative awards for a writer, A Treacherous Country has made very early waves in the literary world. K.M. Kruimink’s introspective novel provides the reader with a rich and unique insight into Van Diemen’s Land in the nineteenth century. These early days of Australia’s past were incredibly hazardous and precarious. The impact of colonisation was ever present as Van Diemen’s Land was establishing itself. Kruimink does an excellent job of setting the scene and immersing her audience in Australia’s turbulent past.

Our guide for this novel’s incredulous journey is Gabriel Fox, a man who is very green to Van Diemen’s Land. We are firmly rooted inside Gabriel’s head for the duration of the novel. Gabriel’s perceptions fluctuate from quite meaningful moments and solid impressions to comical episodes. The natural environment is a force to be reckoned with, overshadowing virtually all moments of Gabriel’s trek. I really enjoyed these aspects of A Treacherous Country. The weight of the strange and wild country Gabriel must traverse plays heavily on our lead’s mind. It is a tumultuous, but relatively short sojourn. Kruimink pits Gabriel against plenty of interesting situations, which he must negotiate in order to reach his end goal. I wasn’t too sure of the ending, which seemed to come rather swiftly after all I had invested in Gabriel’s quest.

With themes of adventure, exploration, danger, injustice, freedom, choice, exploration, companionship, loyalty, family and desire, A Treacherous Country is an assured historical fiction composition.

*I wish to thank Allen & Unwin for providing me with a free copy of this book for review purposes.

A Treacherous Country is book #68 of the Australian Women Writers Challenge

[Gemma Chilton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It's funny and quirky yet poignant and restrained. I sympathised with the narrator, and felt transported to colonial era Tasmania. The whaling scenes especially were vividly portrayed.

[Jennifer (JC-S) · Rating 4 out of 5]

‘How came I to a place like this?’

Gabriel Fox has travelled to Van Diemen’s Land on a quest. The novel opens with Gabriel in the company of a man he calls his Cannibal travelling from Hobart-town. Gabriel’s head is full of questions, such as:

‘… can the season truly be called winter, if it is at the wrong time of the year, and the leaves have not fallen?’

Gabriel and his Cannibal are travelling. Gabriel is hopeful of selling two harpoons he bought in Sydney-town at a whaling-station, north-east of Hobart-town. Once he gets rid of the harpoons, Gabriel wants to find the woman he has been despatched to find, and for whom he has a letter, and return to England. He has a letter of credit to use for his expenses.

The story unfolds slowly: we are in Gabriel’s head and that is the only perspective we will have. He has been tasked with finding Maryanne Maginn, who first set foot on Van Diemen’s Land some thirty years earlier. Why this is important and who has tasked him will gradually become known to us. But it is not Gabriel’s quest as much as his description of the land he is travelling through and the people he meets which held my attention initially. A day’s travel north-east of Hobart-town will take him to a whaling station on the east coast of Van Diemen’s Land. The whaling station is for sale. Sadly, the whales have already been hunted to near extinction.

Gabriel and his Cannibal arrive at the whaling station and take part in a whale hunt. Gabriel’s harpoons are used successfully. But a man dies, and Gabriel becomes part of a group which takes the body back to his widow in Hobart-town.

The descriptions in this novel are so vivid: I can picture the whale hunt (even if I don’t want to); I can see the poor horse Gabriel bought and which is subsequently stolen from him; I can feel his discomfort in his dirty, wet clothes. Gabriel has several different challenges to meet, before a somewhat surprising ending. Surprising, but strangely satisfying.

If you enjoy nineteenth century historical fiction set in Van Diemen’s Land (Tasmania since 1856) you may enjoy this as much as I did.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

[Rhiannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! What a truly wonderful, unique and engaging book!! I am incredibly impressed with this novel. It's written so brilliantly, the prose is so different to what I usually read, or even find for that matter, I was so engrossed in this story. Not only did my vocabulary quadruple in size, but I got to follow a very special character, over the course of a few days, experience an entire array of ups and downs! What a journey! It's only 200 pages, a quick, fantastically written novel well worth a read. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. A hidden gem!
It follows a man on a quest in Tasmania 1820s (approx) to find a women who supposedly lives somewhere in Tasmania. He carries with him two harpoons, used during a whale hunt, which cause him some problems. If you're looking for something different, this is great! If you do read it PLEASE let me know. I would love to talk about it with someone.

Title: A Treacherous Country
Author: K. M. Kruimink

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Treacherous Country is this year's winner of the Vogel Award for an unpublished manuscript, and it's a promising debut for its author K M (Kate) Kruimink.
When the story begins, Gabriel is in the company of a shaggy Irishman he calls his Cannibal, en route from Hobart to a failed whaling station, which his escort wants him to buy (because in forty years the whales have been harvested almost to extinction). Gabriel has arrived from Sydney where he gambled away everything he had in exchange for some possibly useless American harpoons, only to be conned into buying a stolen horse, which is subsequently stolen from him in turn. He seems a nice young man, but gullible to a fault, and not just because he has fallen victim to skulduggery. He has journeyed across the world on a quest is to find Maryanne Maginn, transported some 25 years beforehand, to please the guardian of his lady love, and thus to win her hand.

As it turns out, he is deluded about that, and everything else as well.

Kruimink lives in the Huon Valley, and her familiarity with the Tasmanian landscape gives her prose a bleak authenticity:

The sun did not rise, but instead presented as the suffusion of light behind thick cloud, like a flame behind a paper screen. There was a complete lack of shadow and variety. Everything about me glowed with equal import or insignificance, depending upon one's point of view, and whether one was an optimist or not. Ringlets of fog like girls' hair were emerging from the trees and coiling down the bank.

Nobody knows where I am, I thought. Nobody who loves me knows where I am.

Rather freeing, really. (p.69)

Alas for Gabriel, this freedom leads him to take part in a whale hunt (which I did not enjoy reading, for the same reasons I disliked Moby Dick, but the chapter is mercifully short, which Moby Dick is not). He barely escapes with his life. His companion Cook does not, but back on dry land, in Mrs Heron's modest house, Gabriel's reflections on his experience are rather droll...

To read the rest of my review please visit https://anzlitlovers.com/2020/05/15/a...

[Giles Field · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book might not be for everyone but it has everything that I happen to be looking for in a novel. The prose is really striking, the themes are present (but don’t beat you over the head), and Kruimink - in her debut novel no less - gives a great sense of place and gifts us an ending that is close to perfect.

The narrator of the rollicking story gives an account of his adventures as messenger of an important missive. He has travelled to the far end of the earth (colonial Van Diemen’s Land) from pastoral England in order to win the hand of his sweetheart. We get a great sense of Australia in the 1840s: the descriptions of whaling were particularly thrilling (a good counterpoint to Rebecca Giggs non-fiction ‘Fathoms’ also released this year). It’s great stuff and doesn’t overstay its welcome, in fact I wanted more!

I haven’t seen this one in as many end-of-year lists as I would have expected - I think some people might be sleeping on this one. Very excited to see what Kruimink turns her hand to next. 📚📚📚

[Rob · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't think I can ethically rate this book, as it was written by my cousin. An interesting fact is that there aren't many Kruiminks around. We all have a common ancestor not too far in the past (although it's my mother's maiden name, so I guess I shouldn't say "we"). Nevertheless, here's what I said to Kate when I finished it.

Kate! I adored A Treacherous Country!! Gabriel Fox is such a wonderful protagonist and such a likeable narrator. He is someone whose company I really enjoyed, which makes it a very enjoyable read. And his adventures are so entertaining. I was delighted, in the final chapter, when he thought back over his adventure and I realised it had only been three nights since he arrived in Hobart. I thought the other characters were great, and I found the sub-plots perfectly pitched. The stuff with his mother grounds the story so beautifully, giving it more heft than just a colonial adventure, and his exploits with Susannah Prendergast provide such a fun way to expand on Gabriel's foibles, as well as motivating (on a surface level, anyway) his actions. The prose is wonderfully stylish, too, with a really coherent perspective and very clear descriptions of events.

[Ali · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a terribly arch book: the kind of style I like less and less as I get older and grumpier, but also the sort whose pleasures linger after the irritation has faded. Kruimiak's protagonist is not very bright, but unusually he knows it, and his sense of personal uselessness provides a more welcome spin on the "hapless European in Australia" trope. The book could be read as an ode to colonial society - in which our hapless Gabriel finds some sense of personal courage - and it is in his slowly unravelling processing of the trauma and responsibilities he left behind that the book has real life.
Having said that, just once I would like to read a book with a whale in it where the whale doesn't die horribly. More seriously, the complete absence of acknowledgement or discussion of the Palawa people, who at the time the novel is set had only recently lost an intense frontier war was both odd and uncomfortable, given the legacy of denial of not only the war but the people who fought it.

[Neon Ninja · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is like if Melville's "Moby Dick" and Voltaire's "Candide" had a baby, made Dickens godfather, and then moved to Australia. I was rooting for the extremely lovable Gabriel right till the end, while simultaneously wanting to smack him upside the head for being so naive and gullible. Unusual and fascinating and completely deserving of the Vogel. 100% recommended :)

[John]

This first novel won the Vogel Award in 2020, which reminded me of Eleanor Catton’s The Luminaries: both won high awards, both are written in 19th century English, both are writers writing for writers, Catton rather more successfully I think. The story (rather a series of incidents) here are about a minor aristocrat, Gabriel Fox, on a fool’s errand to find Maryanne Maginn, a 15 year old girl convict transported 30 years ago, and give her a letter, and a money order to keep him in VDL. In Sydney he lost everything in gambling but won two harpoons he has to carry around to find a whaling station so he can sell them. He has his horse and remaining money stolen and ends up with the gratuitously names Cannibal (who isn’t) who takes him to a whaling station in order to buy it. He can't, no money. The best writing is about the chasing and killing of a whale, the rest is well done but Gabriel is such fool I simply didn’t care what happen to him. His brutal father locked his mother in an attic for defying him and Gabriel was too wet to do anything about it. Sure the book conjures up an interesting view of 1830’s VDL, but none of the characters appeal (perhaps they wouldn’t in real life) and the story simply stops, with nothing resolved. Isn’t that a breach of the writer’s contract with the reader?

[Glenys · Rating 3 out of 5]

A unique book for a first novel.
The writer's familiarity with the countryside comes through despite the setting being the 1850s or thereabouts. We are fortunate that the Hobart Library has wonderful historic records of early settlement.
The voice in the head of Gabriel Fox sounds as though it were written by Jane Austen.
Gabriel lives in his imagination, as has been his way from early childhood. The youngest of three sons, with a despotic father and a mother who has been locked in the attic due to the loss of sanity - she took her bonnet off and stayed beyond the acceptable time for a visit after all!
Now aged 25, he is on the other side of the world and alone in his quest to seek a relative of old Mrs Prendergast. Will the journey be the making of him as she suggested?

In a few short, action-packed days Gabriel meets characters who seem to have stepped out of the storybooks of his childhood. He encounters danger and death.
While the ending was not unexpected, I wondered what decision would be made by Gabriel.
Would he return home to rescue his mother or would he make a new life in Tasmania as many others had done before him?
Beautifully written descriptions, lovely witty turn of phrase - a book to make the reader smile despite the dire circumstances in Which Gabriel finds himself.

[Toni Kely-Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

This unique book came to my attention because it won this year's Australian/Vogel Literary Award. This was a really enjoyable read as we go on a journey with gullible Gabriel Fox (who at first I wasn't sure I would like) but as the story progresses you can't help but enjoy being in his company.

The story is told from his POV when he travels to Van Diemen’s Land (Tasmania) to find a woman who was transported there about 30 years ago as a convict. I really enjoyed the writing and the adventure as Gabriel travels through a harsh Van Diemen's land that is barely a new colony (and flashbacks to England as a child and how he came to be on this journey) - there were even laugh out loud moments that made the story very enjoyable.

I was disappointed in the ending though - it was building to what I thought would be a great climax and satisfying ending to his journey only to be so abrupt - otherwise it would have been a 4 star read.

[Peter Tuft · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delightful. I'd describe this as what Jane Austen might have written if she had gone to Tasmania, except that parts of it are a bit more blokey than anything JA wrote. It starts in Tasmania and is about a young minor aristocrat who is not very smart, out of his depth, and generally hapless among the ordinary people, who mostly treat him well anyway (with a couple of exceptions). Gradually we learn about his backstory and why he came to be in Tasmania away from his aristocratic family (so that's the Jane Austen bit). It meanders along gently, building personalities and background, until the last half of the last sentence when there is an abrupt but delightful reveal that left me smiling and feeling uplifted for some time. So if you are one of those readers who like to check the ending in advance - don't.

[Anne Fenn · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very entertaining read. Set in 1840s Van Diemen’s Land, with reference to family life left behind in Norfolk. Gabriel Fox is a very likeable character, an innocent abroad who retains his probing interest in life even while he remains in the dark about it. It’s a short book, with the early 1800s way of writing where many words deserve capital letters. There’s tragedy, comedy, action including whaling, more bearable to read than I expected. The author writes in a most powerful and atmospheric way about the natural world of land and sea.
Winner of 2020 Vogel award and I can see why.
From BorrowBox.

[Eric · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the tradition of Don Quixote and A Confederacy of Dunces, A Treacherous Country uses the language of a bygone era about a bumbling Englishman who cannot understand this place called Van Diemens Land. There are a few clues that it is written for a modern (especially Tasmanian) audience - themes of sustainability and immigration - but for the most part the book stays true to type. I quite enjoyed the writing and would have rated it more highly, except that the ending was abrupt and unsatisfying.

[Jane Naqvi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful debut novel, well deserving of its Vogel award. I heard K.M. Kruimink speak eloquently about her book at the Sydney Writers Festival and was excited to see a fellow Tasmanian on the pedestal. Back home, I had time to love all aspects of A Treacherous Country, including the use of the authentic languages of the times, which is an achievement in itself. I warmed to the inept hero, Gabriel, as he stumbles his way through early European settlement in parts of Tasmania, including old Hobart, on a pretty strange mission. And I loved the ending.

[Lyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was a bit frustrated by this book. The main character is a bit drippy and gullible. He wanders around Tasmania supposedly looking for a particular lady. When he stumbles across her, she doesn’t want to know about the lady who sent him on this quest, but she never tells us why. Also, the situation with his mother is left dangling too. The ending was incredibly abrupt. This wasn’t my style of book unfortunately.

[Gavan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful. Loved the development of the somewhat unreliable narrator, Gabriel, as we learnt more of his backstory. Beautifully crafted writing to keep up his unique voice. It is hard to describe this book without including the word "romp" - not always laugh out loud funny, but wonderfully witty & quirky throughout. Well paced & entertaining; a fun book to read. Very highly recommended.

"The room was simple but not Spartan, with some small concessions to comfort. Chief amongst these was a large painting hung upon the far wall, the work of an Enthusiastic Artist who had perhaps once seen a horse in a dream."

[James Whitmore · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not like any book set in Tasmania’s past I’ve read. In fact it’s not like any Australian historical novel I’ve read. Most of the ones I’ve read attempt to grapple with the terrible truth of our past, the national myths we tell ourselves. There are elements of that in A Treacherous Country but on the whole it is doing something stranger. Read more on my blog.

[Mary-Lou Stephens · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Treacherous Country is an unexpectedly and gently amusing tale with much bafflement from the delightful but slightly dim protagonist. It also paints a darkly grim portrait of Van Diemens Land including convicts, whaling, death and poverty and deceit. However, I was left overall with a sense of whimsy and completion. All shall be well, despite the innocent, heartfelt bumblings of Mr Fox.

Highly recommended.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

*4.5 stars*
This was an adventure story. I feared for protagonist Gabriel Fox as an innocent from a comfortable background on a quest in a wild country (Tasmania).
I grew to like Gabriel more during the story especially as his background and aspirations are revealed.
At the end of the novel I was left wanting more - both from the story and the author. What happens next ?

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m not sure this will be everybody’s cup of tea but I was fully immersed in the story. It took place over a period of 3 days in the 1800s in Tasmania. The story flicks back and forth between Tasmania and England . I’m not going to give an overview of the content but it’s cleverly written and deserves its award .

[Emily Fitzpatrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Follows journey of Gabriel Fox on a mission to find a woman in tasmania, 30 years after transportation for his neighbour.

Enjoyed the writing, which was, in places very funny. A colourful cast of charachters. The author does well to stick to.the voice of the main character.

[Anita Roberts · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the erratic and whimsical writing style right from the start of this book (I wasn’t listening to the audiobook although that’s the only version I can see on GoodReads). But it took me most of the book to really get into the (rather slight) plot. Glad I stuck with it.

[Chookychook · Rating 5 out of 5]

An unexpected gem of a book. The story unfolded to be both sad & funny. Gabriel Fox in an innocent & I hope to read more about him. There was just a few pages to go & I wondered what could possibly happen - I was well pleased with the conclusion.

[Dougal P · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unusual, a work which embraces a quest in the 'wilds' of early nineteen century Van Dieman's Land by a naive young male from the English gentry.

[Shirley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such an entertaining read, with an originality that sets it apart from other historical fiction.