Preservation

Grayling Family #1

by Jock Serong

On a beach not far from the isolated settlement of Sydney in 1797, a fishing boat picks up three shipwreck survivors, distressed and terribly injured. They have walked hundreds of miles across a landscape whose features—and inhabitants—they have no way of comprehending. They have lost fourteen companions along the way. Their accounts of the ordeal are evasive.

It is Lieutenant Joshua Grayling’s task to investigate the story. He comes to realise that those fourteen deaths were contrived by one calculating mind and, as the full horror of the men’s journey emerges, he begins to wonder whether the ruthless killer poses a danger to his own family.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical, Australia, Crime, Mystery, Book Club

349 pages, Paperback

First published October 29, 2018

About the author

Jock Serong lives and works on the far southwest coast of Victoria. He was a practising lawyer when he wrote Quota and is currently a features writer, and the editor of Great Ocean Quarterly. He is married with four children, who in turn are raising a black dog, a rabbit and an unknown number of guinea pigs. Quota was his first novel.

Reviews

[Krystal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Robinson Crusoe meets Silence of the Lambs meets that old primary school song we all learned about Botany Bay.

This one is based on the true story of a shipwreck back in Australia's early (settlement) days, and man, is it a doozy.

The ship wrecks off the coast of Tassie Van Diemen's Land and a handful of men decide they need to make tracks towards Sydney in hopes of sending help. They take a bunch of slaves and don't even get me started ranting about slavery. Let's just say I'm glad this was 200+ years ago.

So among them is Figge, who is basically the devil incarnate, and while everyone is trying their best to survive in the formidable Australian bush, this guy has his own agenda that makes things a lot harder than they need to be.

So here we have:
- Hostile environment
- Discord among survivors
- White people being jerks to slaves
- Long, arduous trek
- Sneaky little criminal mastermind

So it's actually really fun and devious and I can't lie, I enjoyed it immensely.

The writing threw me at first. I was worried that it was going to be one of those books that works so hard to say things in fancy convoluted ways that I'd be bogged down by the language, but it had just the right blend of description and action. There were actually some beautiful, picturesque phrases and the words really brought the setting to life. This will be particularly effective if you've ever been out into the Australian bush, but it also paints a very clear, realistic picture for people who might want to know more about Australia.

The story is told from multiple viewpoints, which was quite effective in amping up the mystery factor, because you don't know which parts are lies and which parts are truth. They take turns in telling the tale of the trek north, but all slight variations. It did make it a little confusing at times but I think that was kind of the point. Wasn't entirely sure about the necessity of including all the present-day drama with the wife and the illness etc but I guess it was just another facet of life in this new and strange land.

Naturally, the aboriginal communities were a big part of this story. I found it interesting the way they were portrayed, particularly in the way they associated preferentially with the slaves. I think that was a powerful statement. It's also quite a vital piece of Australia's history - to communicate that these people were already here, living full lives with their own social systems, not wanting anything, all before white settlers went tromping all over, claiming the country for themselves. It wasn't a pushed agenda, though; it was just a realistic factor of the story. Handled poorly, this could have caused massive controversy I think, but it was written into the story with great respect, so kudos to the author for that.

This is a fascinating fictionalised account of a small piece of Australia's early history, but it's also a great, sinister novel on its own. I loved the references to Australian wildlife (particularly the 'fat badgers') and I felt such patriotism reading about this hostile environment that only the tough survive. That's my country! You also get to know these nasty characters - Figge in particular is such a subtle menace that it makes for a ripper of a story.

Well researched and eloquently written, I have no hesitation in recommending this one. Crime lovers, people who want to know more about Australian history, or the landscape in general. People who like adventure stories tinged with a little bit of evil. Overall, a fantastic read.

With thanks to Text Publishing for my ARC.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

In 1797 a fishing boat picks up three shipwrecked survivors on a beach all of whom are injured and distressed. They have walked for hundred of miles losing fourteen companions along the way their survival has come a cost.

Lieutenant Joshua Grayling’s must investigate the story of the three survivors, but all is not as it seems. What these men went through to survive was an horrendous ordeal, but there trouble brewing and it seems everyone could be in danger.

Preservation by Aussie author Jock Serong was a bit of a surprise for me as I didn’t think I’d enjoy it, as much as I did. A great mixture of historical fiction, Intrigue, mystery and crime all of these combined together makes for a very interesting and enjoyable read.

With thanks to Text Publishing for my ARC to read and review.

[Rob · Rating 4 out of 5]

Australian historical fiction published 2018.

This was an audio book and before starting my review I would just like to tip my hat to the narrator ‘Conrad Coleby’ who’s gift for mimicking many different accents and his ability to slip from male to female and from older to younger voices made this book a pleasure to listen to.

Now to the book.

This is my first Jock Serong book and what an introduction to his work this was.
The time is the seventeen hundreds and a trading vessel is sailing for Sydney. On board are four white men, one of which is a murderer and travelling under a false identity, and a number of Indian crewmen. Rough weather and a ship that was never really seaworthy is the cause of the ship running aground on the south eastern shore of Australia, five hundred miles short of their destination. The ships cargo was rum and in those day rum was even more valuable than gold.
There was no other decision to make but to try to walk to Sydney. But that was not until all the rum was taken to the shore for safekeeping. This rum represented a fortune to anyone left after the treacherous walk to Sydney. For Mr. Figge, the murderer onboard, there would be only one survivor, himself.

So starts the long and treacherous trek to Sydney. The deprivations endured by the survivors were almost beyond imaging. But the treks danger to life and limb paled into insignificance by comparison to the threat posed by Mr. Figge.

Just three manage to reach Sydney, William Clark, a young Indian boy and Mr. Figge.
The story unfolds as the three survivors are questioned by LT Grayling and what a story it turns out to be.
The whole book is cleverly constructed from 3 pov that are mostly at variance with each other. So it’s LT Grayling’s task to cut through the lies and find the truth.

This is a harrowing tale based on historical events.

Highly recommended. 4 stars.

[Brenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was 1797 and Lieutenant Joshua Grayling was captivated by the eyes of the terribly injured Figge – his demeanor was strange to say the least; his story even stranger. From what he was told, the Sydney Cove had foundered on the rocks of Preservation Island, and the survivors had walked hundreds of miles until they were picked up near Sydney. The fourteen who had died along the way had apparently suffered – but Figge’s descriptions were random and didn’t make a lot of sense. William Clark was another of the three survivors…

Grayling’s wife, Charlotte, although ill, talked to her husband about the survivors, offering insights and suggestions. But as Grayling continued his interviews plus readings of Clark’s diary, he began to feel there were untruths and differing opinions from the men. What had happened to those fourteen men who didn’t survive the journey from the ill-fated Sydney Cove? Was Grayling uncovering a ruthless killer?

Preservation by Aussie author Jock Serong is another intriguing historical mystery novel; the story taken, researched and embellished from newspaper archives regarding the story of the Sydney Cove; the wreck of which lay undiscovered until New Year’s Day, 1977, 180 years after its demise. A fascinating look at history which I recommend.

With thanks to Text Publishing for my ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.

[Text Publishing]

‘Serong’s prose is evocative, his dialogue convincing.’
Sydney Morning Herald

‘Serong is a talented storyteller.’
Booklist

‘One of Australia’s most innovative and ambitious crime writers.’
NZ Listener

'Serong manages to breathe significant life into what is already a fascinating period if Australian colonial history. Preservation is totally engaging historical fiction.’
PS News

[Marianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Preservation is the fourth novel by Award-winning Australian author, Jock Serong. From the archive of a newspaper named The Asiatic Mirror, we know that a tri-masted country trader, the Sydney Cove, filled with goods including quite a lot of rum, left Calcutta in November of 1796, headed for New South Wales on a speculative venture, and was wrecked on Preservation Island in Bass Strait in early 1797. One of those on board, William Clark wrote an incomplete diary, extracts of which were quoted in said newspaper. Serong takes the bare bones of these facts and fleshes them out.

After the wrecking, seventeen men take the longboat, intending to reach Sydney and initiate a rescue of the remaining crew and salvage of the rum cargo. Mere days later this boat, too, is wrecked, and the men, with what goods they have been able to recover, head on foot for Sydney, some five hundred and fifty miles. Not quite three months later, three survivors are picked up by a fishing boat just south of Sydney.

On Governor Hunter’s instruction, Lieutenant Joshua Grayling questions two of the survivors: William Clark, who is supercargo for the shipping company; and Mr Figge, who purports to be a representative of a tea merchant. Srinivas, a Bengali lascar, is Clark’s manservant and assumed to speak no English. Charlotte Grayling listens to her husband’s account of the interrogation of the survivors, asking pertinent questions and offering insightful observations. Each of these five distinct narratives is denoted by its own apt icon both at each start and beside the page count.

It soon becomes apparent that each of these survivors is not being entirely forthcoming, and that Clark’s journal does not give the full facts, even where the facts recorded are actually true. What they are hiding, and why, becomes the object of Grayling’s interviews with the men.

Serong’s characters are much more than one-dimensional, and he gives some of them perceptive reflections: “…not only do they have the run of the land, the miles that might stretch between one man and another, but they put their homes where they want them for the seasons. To be rich, I had thought until then, was a walled place. But now I wondered if being rich meant not needing the wall.” Serong’s depiction of the attitudes of the white settlers to the indigenous people is realistic.

Serong states in his Author’s Note “Perhaps all of this is history, and none of it” so the reader will understand that not all the of the story that follows may align strictly with known facts. But his imagining is both fascinating and eminently believable. He includes three very useful maps and the depth of his research is apparent on every page. Once again, an utterly brilliant read!

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've spent a few days tossing up between 3 or 4 stars; now I've settled on 4 because although I didn't like many of the characters or a lot of their actions, it was actually a really good story, well-written.

I always enjoy historical fiction based on a little bit of fact. In this case it's more than a little bit, because the shipwreck (of the Sydney Cove) did occur on Preservation Island in Bass Strait, and there is a secondary source supporting the existence of Clark's diary. But all the rest is Jock Serong's trademark powerful storytelling.

I also note that it's an unusual treat to be able to read fiction set so early in Australia's history. In 1797, the colonising population of Sydney was still only about 4,000, so infrastructure, exploration and social systems were still in their infancy. It was really interesting to read about the tenuous grasp of Governor Hunter on his authority, and the tension between the government and the military, with Macarthur beginning to make his move. I think the decision to tell the story as an investigation into the veracity of the diarised events was a brilliant one, allowing these other elements to be highlighted.

As for the exploits of the shipwrecked party, there's nothing I can add that the blurb doesn't already say. However I would like to mention that the character Mr Figge is perhaps the most despicable and monstrous literary figure I've come across in a very long while. His methods of dominating the other survivors can become extremely graphic at times, and some readers may find this distressing.

A great book to read, but not necessarily to enjoy.

[Trudie · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 - 3

This book was read over my summer Xmas holidays and is a good enough "beach read". I had purposely picked this one out with the hope it would be an Australian version of The North Water and there are some parallels, - disaster at sea, psychopaths and descriptions of violence I would be happy to have removed from my brain. However, where as The North Water left me pondering the nature of man in interesting ways, Preservation has left only the most vague of impressions about what it might be like to walk along the coastline from Melbourne to Sydney with people you don't like much. While the story starts out strongly, some of the narrative tension is squandered given we know early on who survives the ordeal. I grew restless going back over the entire survival story from different points of view.
Based upon a very interesting piece of maritime history, I think the story was intriguing enough without the need to gussy it all up in this fashion.

[Marianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Preservation is the fourth novel by Award-winning Australian author, Jock Serong. The audio version is narrated by Conrad Coleby. From the archive of a newspaper named The Asiatic Mirror, we know that a tri-masted country trader, the Sydney Cove, filled with goods including quite a lot of rum, left Calcutta in November of 1796, headed for New South Wales on a speculative venture, and was wrecked on Preservation Island in Bass Strait in early 1797. One of those on board, William Clark wrote an incomplete diary, extracts of which were quoted in said newspaper. Serong takes the bare bones of these facts and fleshes them out.

After the wrecking, seventeen men take the longboat, intending to reach Sydney and initiate a rescue of the remaining crew and salvage of the rum cargo. Mere days later this boat, too, is wrecked, and the men, with what goods they have been able to recover, head on foot for Sydney, some five hundred and fifty miles. Not quite three months later, three survivors are picked up by a fishing boat just south of Sydney.

On Governor Hunter’s instruction, Lieutenant Joshua Grayling questions two of the survivors: William Clark, who is supercargo for the shipping company; and Mr Figge, who purports to be a representative of a tea merchant. Srinivas, a Bengali lascar, is Clark’s manservant and assumed to speak no English. Charlotte Grayling listens to her husband’s account of the interrogation of the survivors, asking pertinent questions and offering insightful observations. Each of these five distinct narratives is denoted by its own apt icon both at each start and beside the page count.

It soon becomes apparent that each of these survivors is not being entirely forthcoming, and that Clark’s journal does not give the full facts, even where the facts recorded are actually true. What they are hiding, and why, becomes the object of Grayling’s interviews with the men.

Serong’s characters are much more than one-dimensional, and he gives some of them perceptive reflections: “…not only do they have the run of the land, the miles that might stretch between one man and another, but they put their homes where they want them for the seasons. To be rich, I had thought until then, was a walled place. But now I wondered if being rich meant not needing the wall.” Serong’s depiction of the attitudes of the white settlers to the indigenous people is realistic.

Serong states in his Author’s Note “Perhaps all of this is history, and none of it” so the reader will understand that not all the of the story that follows may align strictly with known facts. But his imagining is both fascinating and eminently believable. He includes three very useful maps and the depth of his research is apparent on every page. Once again, an utterly brilliant read!

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been trying to think of somebody else that could write books about abalone fishing quotas, cricket, asylum seekers and now early white Australian settlement, convicts, rum runners and shipwrecks and make them all equally compelling, memorable, and ... crime fiction.

Jock Serong is one of those writers whose books induce a spot of awkward happy dancing when they arrive - you're guaranteed of something different and unusual after all. Whilst each of the settings, and approaches have varied, at the core of Serong's books is a tale of people being people. Good, bad, indifferent, inspired, capable, incompetent, awful, ordinary, predictable and utterly unpredictable.

In the case of PRESERVATION we have a fictional reworking of a true story - the attempt by seventeen shipwreck survivors to walk from the Victorian coast, east to Sydney. There was a diary of their exploits that survived, along with the three of the original sailors, and Serong has used the historical records of the time and the diary to weave a dark and mysterious tale of murder, treachery and theft. There are multiple threads to PRESERVATION though. The story of the sailor's survival, trek and the importance (and value) of the cargo the ship carried, is interwoven with a tale of the Indigenous people of the various areas, and how they initially helped, then attacked, the sailors. This provides a bigger picture of the causes and outcomes of tension between the locals and white settlers, including the poor choices of many white settlers in rejecting any local people's expertise and experience in the landscape. The other ongoing thread is the story of the white settlement of Sydney itself, seen mostly through the eyes of Lieutenant Joshua Grayling and his wife Charlotte. Grayling is tasked with discovering the truth of the shipwreck and trek as accounts vary, and his, and Charlotte's interaction with all the shipwreck survivors and the local aboriginal people is nuanced, sympathetic and complicated.

The Grayling characters are one of those portrayals that we need to remind us that it isn't true to say that all early white settlers behaved badly - therefore it's okay to dismiss the worst as "normalised". They are a reflection of many people that have recently been written about who upheld the rule of law, regardless of skin colour or social background, that stood for fairness and understanding.

At the heart of PRESERVATION is a crime story though - it's a story about murder, identity theft, ill-gotten gains and greed. It's also a story of survival, intrepidness and standing up to authority on matters of principle. It's the sort of novel that will appeal to both pure crime fiction fans and historical novel readers alike and another perfect example of the sort of yarn that Jock Serong specialises in. I cannot wait to see where he takes us next.

https://www.austcrimefiction.org/revi...

[Trevor · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novel is a riveting mystery, set against the background of early colonial Australia.

Told mainly as a series of flashbacks, which tell the tale of mis-doing and murder in India and Australia, this is a well crafted, but easy read, which leaves a mystery afloat until the last chapter.

The background of the indigenous lives, and that of the early European settlers is vivid and feels realistic in it's descriptions, and does take you back in time.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this novel.

[Carol Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

Based on the true story of the 1797 wreck of the Sydney Cove on a tiny island off the north coast of Tasmania, 'Preservation' is a harrowing tale of survival and deception in Australia's earliest colonial era. It follows a small group of the survivors as they attempt to first sail a long boat, and then when that is also wrecked, walk 500 miles through uncharted bush to reach Sydney.

I knew of this story, having read Evan McHugh's excellent book 'Shipwrecks: Australia's Greatest Maritime Disasters', and was interested to see how the author would flesh out the scanty details available. Well, he made a feast of it. The research that has gone into writing this story was truly impressive. He tells not only an epic story of the survivors' ordeal as they struggle across an alien landscape, but also gives an insightful account of the fledgling colony of Sydney. Plus he imagines their meetings with various Aboriginal peoples throughout the journey and contrasts the survivors' view of the environment and its resources, with that of the people who have always lived there. The setting was probably the most thoroughly realised aspect of the novel for me. Shipboard life, the bush, the encounters with Aboriginal nations, the descriptions of early Sydney were all vivid and alive.

The story is told after the fact through multiple viewpoints, with three characters recounting the events to one Lt Joshua Grayling, who is tasked with investigating the survivors' stories on behalf of the governor. The author has an excellent feel for character, and the evil emanating from one of these characters is palpable. Structuring the novel as an investigation in this manner enhances its inherent mystery, but it does mean that the story loses some of its immediacy and emotional impact so that reading it becomes more of an intellectual journey rather than an emotional one. Highly recommended, especially for lovers of Australian history.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is great historical fiction, giving voice to people lost in history in a wild and desperate journey.
Based on the 1797 shipwreck of the ship named The Sydney Cove, in the Farneaux Islands of Bass Straight, between Tasmania and mainland Australia. Predating the 'discovery' of Bass Straight by George Bass and Matthew Flinders in 1798. The discovery of the straight is often attributed as a direct consequence of this shipwreck. However, it's the over 600 mile trek of 16 crew up the East coast of Australia to Sydney that is covered in this story. Of the 16 only 3 people survived and they are given fictional names in the novel. Two interesting characters are given fictional backstories. One is a Bengali cabin boy and the other is the villain of the piece. The story is revealed at a slow pace to those back in Sydney town. Excellently paced and brilliantly narrated Conrad Coleby.
The most recent novel in a trilogy (so far) by Jock Serong has just been released which has sent me to explore the first two audiobooks before I approach the third one.
Two other non-fiction books that cover the shipwreck and the overland journey are-
Three Sheets to the Wind by Adam Courtenay
The Forgotten Islands by Michael Veitch

[Sharkell · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this over Christmas and I'm still trying to come to terms with it. My reading was very interrupted so I did not get a good run at it. I enjoyed the story, loved to hate the villain, but didn't feel connected to the story or the chatacters in any way and couldn't wait to finish (which happens to any book I read that takes more than a week to read). Not sure if it was the book or my reading circumstances. There was certainly a good feeling of place and some lovely descriptive prose.

[Adrian Deans · Rating 4 out of 5]

Once again, I’m in two minds about a book. For gorgeous writing and evocation of time and place, it’s a solid 5 stars.

However, I have to say, I found the storyline weak, the characters elusive, and frankly, I struggled to finish.

I did think it was being set up for a strong but tragic ending – so much so that I could barely stand to read the last few pages. But the author shied away from the powerful conclusion he might have employed, leaving me disappointed with anticlimax.

I felt at the start that I was being set up for a big twist/revelation, but there was no mystery. Everything was guessable from the first and played out exactly as expected apart from a few minor details.

So, in the end, I wouldn’t say I enjoyed the book, but the atmospherics were so good I can’t give it less than 3.5 marked up to 4 stars.

[Calzean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jock Serong certainly writes variety - his previous books cover Australia's mismanagement of refugees/border protection, a murder mystery and gambling in sports. This time he takes the real diary of a little known survival story of shipwreck sailors in 1797 and gives it a series of fictionalised interpretations that are at times quite brutal.
The real story is little known. A trading ship from Calcutta is shipwrecked on a remote island off the coast of Tasmania. A longboat with 17 survivors make it to the Victorian coast where it too is wrecked. The survivors then walk to Sydney, at the time a floundering settlement of a less than 2000 people. Three survive the 500 mile trek after receiving much help from the various Aboriginal tribes they meet.
In this book, Serong adds a brutal murderer to the party. He takes a dim view of the antics of the whites, a sympathetic depiction of the lascars and a rarely shown depiction of the kindness and skills of the Aborigines. Serong is a great story teller and his interpretation of this journey made me question what is in many historical journals is not what is written but what has not been written.

[Bram · Rating 5 out of 5]

A magnificent adventure, with some serious food for thought about Australian history, collective responsibility and the fragile bonds of civility. Just great.

[Steve lovell · Rating 4 out of 5]

My impressive and lovely daughter-in-law manages the company that runs supplies to the Furneaux group of islands in Bass Strait from its base at Bridport on Tassie’s north-east coastline. The hardy and handy crew that ride the flat-bottomed boats to Lady Barron on Flinders Island, as well as a smattering of other locations in these capricious waters, know well that in the past many ships passing through did not make it to their destinations. The area is a shipwreck graveyard. One of the earliest of these was the ‘Sydney Cove’ out of Calcutta.

It’s objective was the eponymous colonial port and outpost, less than ten years old, with a population of only a few thousand souls. Most of those were there against their wills. Many of its inhabitants suffered from a great thirst. The purpose of this ship’s voyage was the business of slaking it. Their carrier had been renamed, back on the Hooghly, as a selling point, but unfortunately the accompanying merchant never had the opportunity to find out if this act was to his financial benefit. After the long voyage south into the Roaring Forties, from India, it was lost just north of Cape Portland on the little isle later to be named Preservation. This was at a time (1797) when the passage and open seas between Van Diemen’s Land and New Holland had yet to be fully mapped. For the survivors of the wreck the only chance of long lasting survival was to make contact with Sydney. A small party would have to find their way north, first by long boat and then by Shank’s pony, for 700 clicks. Their trek to seek assistance for their fellow seafarers back on Preservation Island is one monumental feat for those formative years of European occupation, but is still shrouded in mystery. There is so much we do not know. Why, for instance, did only three of the original party actually make it, found by fishermen crawling along a beach on the outskirts of civilisation as they knew it? Serong deftly adds fictional flesh to the bones that have eked down to us.

The only remotely accurate historical account of their privations comes from the merchant, 27 year old entrepreneur William Clark. The other survivors to make it to Port Jackson were two seamen, one white and the other an Indian. Serong gives them identities. One is a chancer who has stolen an identity to evolve into Mr Figge. The other is a youthful Bengali servant to Clark, Srinivas.

Governor Hunter, under pressure from both London and the Rum Corps, needs to investigate the veracity of Clark’s tale before he sends off a rescue party to the south. He appoints Lieutenant Joshua Grayling to unravel the stories of the two men and the boy. He discovers enough inconsistencies to drive a truck through – if they had them in the olden days!

Jack Serong’s two previous tomes - ‘The Rules of Backyard Cricket’ and ‘On the Java Ridge’ - had both been winners in my book. The former lawyer does not let his fans down here.

Through Grayling’s interrogations we get to know the interviewees, that is, if they are to be believed. This is especially the case with the two adults, but once the Lieutenant twigs that the servant can speak English, matters become a tad clearer. We also discover much about the officer himself, his ailing wife, who becomes more and more central to the story, as well as the very early days of our oldest white settlement. The original Australians also figure prominently. Pemulwuy is just outside the settlement’s boundaries, waging his rearguard action against the invaders, terrorising the new arrivals. But many of his people are drawn to the new arrivals. These Aboriginals are yet to be clothed and made ‘respectable’, but are ultimately ruined by the foreigners and their prudish religion. The trekkers, battling their way from Eastern Gippsland up to almost their goal, also had the first landholders to contend with. Largely the Gurnai Kurnai and Eora were benign, often proffering help that was sometimes accepted, sometimes not.

How far Serong’s story may be at variance to the actualities of the event we simply do not know. It is historically correct, though, that a sensation was caused by the trio’s arrival in the colony. This focused the minds of the movers and shakers of the time to send Flinders and his mate Bass off to map around the Furneaux Islands and to discover the Strait. It was then opened up to our first viable industry – for better or worse. Sealers and whaling ships were soon operating in those waters.

I await Serong’s next publication with much expectation.

[MaryG2E · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was pure coincidence that I’ve read two books in a row that deal with aspects of the British colonisation of Australia, lent to me by two different friends. Both books are written by noted Australian authors and deal brilliantly with their subject matter. It would be true to say that my reading of the second book, the novel Preservation was informed by the content of the earlier book The Good Country, an historical account of the invasion of white settlers in the territory of the Djadja Wurrung people.

Preservation is a brilliant novel, beautifully crafted and expertly told by award-winning writer Jock Serong. The book is a fictionalised account of the true story of a heroic journey through unknown territory by survivors of a shipwreck in 1797, at the dawn of European settlement of Australia. The merchant ship Sydney Cove ran aground during a storm on a rocky islet in the Furneaux Islands off the northeast coast of Tasmania. A group of survivors took the longboat to sail north to the fledgling colony of Sydney to mount a rescue and salvage mission, but were shipwrecked on the mainland coast at Ninety Mile beach in East Gippsland. The Sydney Cove was laden with valuable cargo, much needed for re-supply of the small settlement at Port Jackson. The group of seventeen survivors, comprising four British and thirteen Indian sailors, decided to walk north along the coast to Sydney, a journey of some 600 miles. Only three made it, and the story told by their leader, William Clark, merchant, is the official record of the episode, which is a little-known tale of adventure and misfortune in the earliest period of Australian colonisation.

Jock Serong has taken that official version and re-worked it, providing different perspectives and filling in the gaps with well-constructed and highly believable fictional narratives. Apart from Clark’s version, we get the perspectives of John Figge, tea merchant, and Srinivas, Clark’s Bengali valet. The stories are told to the aide to Governor John Hunter, Lieutenant Joshua Grayling and his high-spirited wife Charlotte.

From the opening chapter the reader is informed that almost nobody is telling the real truth, and nobody is who they seem to be. Indeed, the Figge character tells us very early that he is impersonating the real Mr Figge, now deceased. It is Figge’s frankness about his ideas and actions that contributes a sense of menace to the narrative. We become aware that the “heroic” tale of survival against overwhelming odds has an evil and vicious underbelly. This dark side unfolds in a series of conversations between Srinivas and Charlotte, in which the “true” fate of the 14 who did not make it to Sydney is revealed. (The official account of the real William Clark is silent on most of these matters.)

I must confess that I had to stop reading on occasions, because some of the episodes during the long walk caused me considerable distress. The character of Mr Figge was so malevolent, and the graphic descriptions of his cruelty and violence were quite shocking. He is a remarkable creation, this Mr Figge. Clearly a brutal, bestial man, he laces the narrative with a palpable sense of menace, which adds a Gothic flavour to the novel. On the other hand he is highly intelligent and acutely perceptive, and through his eyes the reader sees the journey from a profoundly different perspective from that of the weak, unpleasant William Clark. For example, Figge understood the way of the aborigines in surviving in the landscape, and had rare insights into many things that escaped the other dullard British men.

I was frequently appalled by the utterings of William Clark, a deeply unsympathetic character in the novel. We get the sense that he is lying from the start to protect his reputation and his commercial interests. The author has excelled in the creation of this character as a way of conveying the reality of many ambitious free settlers who emigrated to Australia to find their fortunes. He carried with him all the way a deeply nasty sense of white superiority, which reflected badly on his insensitive dealings with the dark-skinned people he encountered on the journey, both indigenous peoples in their territories, and the Indian sailors who set out with him. The same can be said for the other British characters, Kennedy and Thompson, whose craven urges and behaviours illustrated the ignoble side of the white colonists. We get a strong sense of the beliefs and thought processes of the real invaders who treated the indigenous inhabitants with such arrogance and brutality.

Preservation is also a delightful book on many levels. Some of the writing about the Australian bush and the Aborigines was quite lyrical and greatly enjoyable. For example there is a delicious passage in which Srinivas describes the behaviour of a bowerbird in its bower, which engaged me and lifted the mood of the narrative. Also, Charlotte Grayling's walks around the settlement at Port Jackson convey a love for the light and fresh air of the harbour location. Serong’s efforts to immerse the indigenous people in their country is admirable, and affords the reader small insights into the way of life before the invasion. I loved the idea of Srinivas staying absolutely mute to avoid the attention of his British masters, while seeing and hearing everything. His unbiassed account of the journey speaks to the importance of other versions of history, in which the voices of the oppressed and unseen need to be heard.

This novel is not one for the faint-hearted, particularly not for those who prefer their Australian stories in the armchair comfort of ‘rural lit’. It is a tough, confrontational read, but written with great skill, beautiful language and heart-stopping tensions. For me it was a 5 star read.

[Ystyn Francis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to Text Publishing for an advance copy of this excellent novel. After being blown away by Jock Serong's "The Rules of Backyard Cricket" - my favourite book of 2016 - I quickly devoured "On the Java Ridge" when it was released before heading back to where it all began by reading his Ned Kelly Award-winning debut novel, "Quota". What has impressed me most about Serong, including his newest novel "Preservation", is how all four books are about such vastly different worlds and the vastly different characters who populate them. The level and depth of research is clear on every page, and the social commentary is insightful and thought-provoking. "Preservation's" era, so close to the initial landing of the First Fleet, is a unique setting for an engaging and informative narrative which should become canonical over time. If the Queensland senior high school English program wasn't moving to a set text list next year, I would seriously consider using it (and "On the Java Ridge") as fascinating texts for students to study.

[Anne Fenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jock Serong has written a fabulous piece of historical fiction, set in early Sydney. It's based on a famous story of a trek across unknown country by a mixed group of people who have been shipwrecked twice. I give it four and a half stars really, for it's beautifully written, detailed, original style. I've read quite a few of his sources, and believe he makes excellent use of recent historical studies about these early years in the colony. He also creates convincingly authentic characters, ranging from villains, lascars, indigenous groups, to white officials and families. I did find his effort to develop a really brutal psychopathic murderer just too effective, and had to skip a bit of sickening violence.
I'd forgotten how much I love good historical fiction. They can be like this, great entertainment and you learn such a lot

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

P29 “Slowly and reluctantly, his cracked mouth opened and the words walked themselves into the light.”

Pg39 “Deep in the clean white paper west of the know Coast, we were far from any passing ship.”

Pg130 “I was roasting a badger, just a dark mass in the coals, it’s little claws upraised like a flipped ottoman.”

Pg113 “One sees what one desires to see. A smell might remind you of home or it might turn your guts. Same smell. “

pg310 “...they claimed they took four thousand fish: vulgar beside this, this delicate singularity.”

[Joanne Osborne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was immediately interested when I read the blurb that this was based on a true incident, so many Australian stories not heard of!!
Loved the telling of the same story from each participant and how it unfolds.. also loved the kindness spoken of about the treatment from the different native tribes along the journey .. was so well written and a book that I kept reaching for...

[Kris McCracken · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story is based on the 1797 shipwreck of Sydney Cove off the coast of Preservation Island in Bass Strait. Serong uses this historical event as a starting point to imagine what might have happened during the trek survivors made to the frontier town of Sydney.

Serong’s writing style is engaging and immersive, and his use of multiple narrators adds depth and complexity to the story. The characters are well-developed and unique, each having a distinct voice that is not merely a caricature. The author’s descriptions of the Australian landscape are particularly noteworthy. He paints a vivid picture of the harsh and unforgiving terrain that the survivors must navigate, making it easy for readers to imagine themselves in their shoes.

I enjoyed this engaging and thought-provoking novel very much.

⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 1/2

[Max Coggan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Based on early Australian settlement history. Didn’t appear to be realistic and a vague ending.

[Meg · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful story, extremely well told

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Preservation was an impulse choice: I saw it at the library and I’d enjoyed Jock Serong’s On the Java Ridge (which BTW has won some awards since I read it).

Preservation is quite different in that it’s historical fiction set in colonial Sydney, and it only obliquely tackles the problem of evil in the present day. It’s basically a detective story but it’s absorbing reading because it’s a howdunit and a whydunit rather than a whodunit…

The novel is derived from the true story of shipwreck of the Sydney Cove. This is the blurb:

On a beach not far from the isolated settlement of Sydney in 1797, a fishing boat picks up three shipwreck survivors, distressed and terribly injured. They have walked hundreds of miles across a landscape whose features—and inhabitants—they have no way of comprehending. They have lost fourteen companions along the way. Their accounts of the ordeal are evasive.

It is Lieutenant Joshua Grayling’s task to investigate the story. He comes to realise that those fourteen deaths were contrived by one calculating mind and, as the full horror of the men’s journey emerges, he begins to wonder whether the ruthless killer poses a danger to his own family.

The ship which set sail from Calcutta in British India was carrying rum, which was then the currency in the fledgling settlement of Sydney. Among the Sydney Cove’s passengers is a man soon revealed to be a psychopath called Figge; a naïve entrepreneur called Clark trying to beat the East India Company at its own game; and Srinivas, a Lascar learning the ropes of service from his father who is the unacknowledged leader of the Lascar crew. The narrative gives voice to all three, and also to Lt. Grayling and his wife Charlotte, who discovers that Srinivas speaks English and has witnessed incriminating conversations between Clark and Figge as to the fate of the fourteen companions. These narratives with their competing versions of the truth build to a climax.

To read the rest of my review please visit https://anzlitlovers.com/2018/12/03/p...

[Jo C · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of those books where you want to debrief immediately with someone else who has read it. It's historical fiction at its finest - a compelling moment in history where the setting comes to life, the characters are real and varied, the atmosphere is palpable and there are many white-knuckle moments. Within these pages lurks one of the most frightening (evil) characters I have ever met in my lifelong reading journey...

[Chris Waterford · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a marvellous tale this is---and a part of our history that I had not heard about. I loved the 'first person account' nature of the narrative---three or four different voices each giving their version of events. And what richness in the writing--my first experience of Jock Serong, but not my last. A great story ,superbly written.

[S7 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ripper of a yarn, and hard to put down once you pick it up. Loved how it’s told from multiple perspectives - definitely adds to the darkness and mystery, as you’re never quite sure who’s ‘truth’ is correct.