Books and reading,  History

Beautiful prose with a dark story: ‘The Ripping Tree’ by Nikki Gemmell

For me, this new work of fiction by best seller Nikki Gemmell (Shiver, The Bride Stripped Bare, among other titles) is a conundrum. I had been excited to read it as I enjoyed her earlier works and it is set in colonial era New South Wales – my cup of tea. It tells the story of Thomasina, raised by a free spirited father who she is mourning after his death; sent by a manipulative half brother to the colony. His plan is to marry off his vibrant, ‘untameable’ young sister to a vicar, a man she has never met.

Fate intervenes and the ship they are travelling on goes down just off the Australian coast, with Thomasina the only survivor. She is washed up on rocks, rescued by a mysterious Aboriginal man and deposited, with care, at the doorstep of ‘Weatherbrae’, the home of the respectable Craw family.

The family takes her in but there is no sanctuary here for Thomasina.

She befriends Mouse, the young boy who shares her love of nature and passion for life. Mouse’s nervous, dissatisfied mother first sees the strange young castaway as a replacement for the daughter she lost to illness – and a welcome female companion. There is talk of Thomasina becoming governess for Mouse, offering her a home and refuge from an unwanted marriage and constrained life as a respectable wife.

Very quickly, though, she realises that at the heart of the Craw family there is a dark secret. ‘Weatherbrae’ itself becomes a character, almost gothic in its claustrophobia, while the wild country outside its doors beckons to the young woman on the cusp of adulthood, who is confused and troubled by what she sees, hears and suspects. Told over the space of one week, the story becomes a tale of terrible acts committed, a family eaten away by their secrets, willing to do anything to preserve their respectability in the eyes of themselves and their community.

As always, Nikki Gemmell’s writing is beautiful, startling in its originality and lyricism:

‘Isolated by the alone…’ p21
‘I miss my father, corrosively.’ p 9
‘…light slips in through a curtain gap as strong as a cat, enticing us both out.’ p11

I loved the language, losing myself in Ms Gemmell’s beautiful prose.

And yet…

There were aspects of this novel that threw me out of the story, annoyingly and at times violently. I could not warm to Thomasina; while I admired her determination to remain true to herself and the way she was raised, her naivety and blindness to the risks around her irritated me. She continually acts in ways that can only increase the risk to herself and to others and while by the end of the story she realises her mistakes, it’s too late. Occasional expressions that feel wrong for the historical period also jarred: ‘I guess’ or ‘Hang on’ seem inconsistent with colonial English, even in a colony planted at the far end of the earth.

The dark heart of the story is to do with the troubled relations between First Australians and settlers; it’s no spoiler to say that as it is obvious from the beginning that atrocities of the sort committed during the colonial era will be involved. I respect the author’s choice to write a story about difficult events like these.

‘Let’s just say my little tale is a history of a great colonial house that was burdened by a situation that was never resolved, and I fear all over this land will never be resolved. It is our great wound that needs suturing and it hasn’t been yet and I fear, perhaps, it never will be, for we’re not comfortable, still, with acknowledging it.’

The Ripping Tree p339

This quote from the end of the book speaks to the truth of the novel and the author’s purpose. I agree wholeheartedly with the sentiments expressed. For me, the disappointment lies in my inability to care for the protagonist or most of the other characters.

Others may disagree: I would be most interested to know if you have read The Ripping Tree and if so, what you thought.

The Ripping Tree is published by HarperCollins Publishers in April 2021.
My thanks to the publishers for a review copy.

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3 Comments

  • Maree Giles

    Hi Denise,

    A fair review of Nikki’s novel which is, interestingly enough, very similar to one of my novels – Under The Green Moon. There’s a shipwreck, a cross-cultural friendship between a young Aboriginal girl and the protagonist, a young white girl, set in Botany Bay during the Great Depression, and ghosts of colonialism, violence, and murder of First Nations people.

    There is no big Gothic-style house in my story, however there are many similar themes.

    It’s great to see this subject being written about by Nikki. I hope these novels help break down barriers and prejudices with their honest portrayal of Australia’s dark colonial history, a history I’m still passionate about revealing.

    Best Wishes,

    Maree

    • Denise Newton

      Hi Maree
      Thanks for your comments. I’ll look out for your book too, sounds terrific. I agree, it is good to see Australian authors write more truthfully about our country’s past. It’s only by facing our truths will we mature as a nation.

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