Our November book, Jack Serong’s Burning Island, is a story of a voyage in 1830 to the Furneaux Group of Islands between Victoria and Tasmania. The islands had a reputation for lawlessness and worse, perpetrated by whalers on the Aboriginal women they stole as wives and workers and on any ships that sailed too close to them.
A Hindu businessman, Scrivinas, reacquainted himself with Captain Joshua Grayling whom he had known many years earlier. Grayling was now a chronic alcoholic living in a bush hut a good ride out of Sydney. They both had much to fear from a former enemy, Mr Figge, although the details of this remained mysterious. Scrivinas wanted Grayling to go looking for Figge, who he thought was hiding out in the Furneaux Islands while taunting him with attempts at murder. Although unspoken, the aim of the voyage was to eliminate this dangerous adversary. Grayling agreed, despite his poor health and, accompanied by his daughter Eliza, boarded the ship provided by the Hindu. The unusual crew consisted of the Master, a cross dressing man, and two twins who constantly fought each other. A scientist who wanted to study fish and birds joined the ship at the last minute with his trunks of scientific equipment.
What could possibly go wrong? Well, quite a lot. But I won’t spoil the surprises for those who want to find and read this book.
Meg Dillon