by Hannah Kent
First published 2022
Hanne approaches fifteen in 1836 Prussia, but the expected path into domestic womanhood feels like a trap. She craves the river's current and wind's movement over household duties. The local girls offer no real connection until Thea arrives. In Thea, Hanne discovers someone who understands her restless spirit. Their families belong to the Old Lutheran community, practicing their faith in secret whispers and hidden gatherings. When authorities grant them passage to Australia, the village celebrates. They will finally worship openly in their own permanent home. The promise of religious freedom launches them on a punishing ocean voyage. The journey tests every bond among the travelers, but Hanne and Thea's friendship deepens even as the crossing grows more brutal. Their connection becomes something that transcends the physical hardships threatening to destroy everything else they know.
Genres: historical-fiction, adventure, coming-of-age, 19th-century, family-drama
Vibes: atmospheric, emotional, intimate
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, found-family
Setting: Prussia, Australia
Period: 1836
432 pages · Hardcover · Pan Macmillan