by Rose Tremain
First published 2020
Joseph Blackstone stands in a creek bed near Christchurch, staring at flecks of gold in his palm. He and his wife Harriet have emigrated from England with his mother Lilian, seeking prosperity in New Zealand's unforgiving landscape. The harsh land threatens to break them before they can establish their farm. Joseph makes a fateful choice. He tells no one about the gold, not Harriet, not his mother. The discovery consumes his thoughts. He pictures the riches buried deeper in the earth, waiting for him in the goldfields beyond the Southern Alps. Joseph abandons his farm and family, joining the rush of prospectors chasing the seductive promise of the "colour." In this moral wilderness, men driven by golden dreams race toward their fates. Joseph must face what his obsession has cost him and whether the gold he seeks can fill the void he has created.
Genres: historical-fiction, 20th-century, adventure, 19th-century
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: moral-dilemma, obsession
Setting: Christchurch, New Zealand, Southern Alps
Period: 19th Century
429 pages · Paperback · Vintage