First published 2002
William Buelow Gould sits in his prison cell as the daily tide floods in around him. A convicted forger and thief, he faces life imprisonment in Van Diemen's Land, the brutal penal colony that would become Tasmania. The prison doctor recognizes Gould's artistic abilities and assigns him to paint the strange fish that inhabit these southern waters. Between brushstrokes, Gould writes his memoirs, documenting his improbable existence in this remote corner of the world. His manuscript vanishes into history, only to resurface in modern times. Through Gould's own words and paintings, the book reveals the harsh realities of colonial punishment and the unexpected beauty that emerges from desperate circumstances. This is a story about survival, art, and the power of creation in the face of destruction.
Genres: literary-fiction, historical-fiction, 20th-century, 19th-century
Vibes: atmospheric, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Tasmania, Van Diemen's Land
Period: 19th-Century
384 pages · Hardcover · Anthos
Content warnings: colonialism