Nineteenth-century novels and nonfiction accounts I read include Life of Elizabeth Fry: Compiled from Her Journal (1855), by Susanna Corder; Elizabeth Fry (1884), by Mrs. E. R. Pitman; The Broad Arrow: Being Passages from the History of Maida Gwynnham, a Lifer (1859), by Oline Keese (a pseudonym for Caroline Leakey); For the Term of his Natural Life (1874), by Marcus Andrew Hislop Clarke; Christine: Or, Woman’s Trials and Triumphs (1856), by Laura Curtis Bullard; and The Journals of George Augustus Robinson, Chief Protector, Port Phillip Aboriginal Protectorate, Volume 2 (1840–1841).
As I researched Mathinna’s story, I found the following resources especially valuable: The Last of the Tasmanians: Or, The Black War of Van Diemen’s Land (1870), by James Bonwick; Dr. Alexander’s biography of Jane Franklin (mentioned above); Wanting, a novel by Richard Flanagan; Tunnerminnerwait and Maulboyheenner: The Involvement of Aboriginal People from Tasmania in Key Events of Early Melbourne, by Clare Land; “Tasmanian Gothic: The Art of Tasmania’s Forgotten War,” by Gregory Lehman; “Extermination, Extinction, Genocide: British Colonialism and Tasmanian Aborigines,” by Shayne Breen; “In Black and White,” by Jared Diamond; and “From Terror to Genocide: Britain’s Tasmanian Penal Colony and Australia’s History Wars,” by Benjamin Madley. I was inspired by excerpts from the Bangarra Dance Theatre’s performance of “Mathinna,” choreographed by Stephen Page.
I am grateful to Dr. Gregory Lehman, Pro Vice-Chancellor of Aboriginal Leadership at the University of Tasmania and a descendant of the Trawlwulwuy people of northeast Tasmania, for critiquing the sections about Mathinna and the history of the Tasmanian Aboriginal people.
I strove to be historically accurate as much as possible, but ultimately The Exiles is a work of fiction. For example, while Mathinna’s family history is factual, her real-life counterpart was five years old, not eight, when the Franklins brought her to Hobart Town. The question of whether free settlers dropped handkerchiefs at the feet of the convict women is disputed; I chose to include it. The novel was fact-checked by Dr. Alexander, Dr. Lehman, and others; the few changes I made to the historical record were done consciously and in service to the story.
Today, about 20 percent of Australians—a total of nearly five million people—are descended from transported British convicts. But only recently have many Australians begun embracing their convict heritage and coming to terms with the legacy of colonization. I was lucky to research this book when I did; a number of historic sites and museum exhibits are new. Though descendants of convicts now make up three quarters of Tasmania’s white population, when I first visited the island several years ago the convict museum at the Cascades Female Factory was only three years old. The permanent exhibitions showcasing Aboriginal history, art, and culture at the Tasmanian Museum & Art Gallery had opened two weeks earlier. In addition to these places, I visited Runnymede, a National Trust site preserved as an 1840s whaling captain’s house, in New Town, Tasmania; the Hobart Convict Penitentiary; the Richmond Gaol Historic Site; the Maritime Museum of Tasmania; and convict sites and museums in Sydney and Melbourne.
I am lucky to have an editor, Katherine Nintzel, who is willing to read and critique multiple drafts and engage every nuance, no matter how slight. With this novel she was like a personal trainer for my brain, motivating me to dig deeper and work harder than I ever have before; I can’t overstate how grateful I am for her wisdom and patience. Thanks also to the rest of my team at William Morrow/HarperCollins for their unstinting support: Brian Murray, Liate Stehlik, Frank Albanese, Jennifer Hart, Brittani Hilles, Kelly Rudolph, Kaitlin Harri, Amelia Wood, Molly Gendell, and Stephanie Vallejo. To Mumtaz Mustafa for the stunning cover. To Lisa Sharkey for sage advice. Eric Simonoff at WME, Geri Thoma at Writers House, and Julie Barer at The Book Group have been trusted advisors.
Bonnie Friedman read every page of the manuscript more than once and engaged with me so deeply that I felt I had a true ally, a reader who understood what I was trying to do as well as if not better than I did, and inspired me to get there. Amanda Eyre Ward dropped everything to read when I needed a pair of fresh eyes (and quickly saw that Mathinna’s story should begin the book). Anne Burt, Alice Elliott Dark, and Matthew Thomas provided welcome insights. Carolyn Fagan was an invaluable support at every stage.
Writing a novel can be a lonely enterprise. I am grateful for the camaraderie of the Grove Street Gang, a writers’ reading group that includes Bonnie, Anne, and Alice, as well as Marina Budhos and Alexandra Enders. Kristin Hannah, Paula McLain, Meg Wolitzer, Lisa Gornick, Jane Green, Jean Hanff Korelitz, Maureen Connolly, Pamela Redmond, Laurie Albanese, John Veague, and Nancy Star have been true writerly friends and allies. Thanks to my stalwart Montclair Writers’ Group and the NYC-based novelists’ group Word of Mouth (WOM), as well as MoMoLo and KauaiGals (you know who you are!).
My sisters—Cynthia Baker, Clara Baker, and Catherine Baker-Pitts—mean everything to me. They read early drafts, helped to hash out storylines, and are my fellow adventurers in life. I am grateful for moral support from my father, William Baker, his partner, Jane Wright, and my mother-in-law, Carole Kline. My three sons, Hayden, Will, and Eli, bring me endless joy. And what is there left to say about my husband, David Kline, who has been with me at every step and makes my life richer in every way?
About the Author
A #1 New York Times bestselling author of eight novels, including Orphan Train and A Piece of the World, CHRISTINA BAKER KLINE is published in forty countries. Her novels have been awarded the New England Society Award for Fiction, the Maine Literary Award, and a Barnes & Noble Discover Award, among other accolades, and have been chosen by hundreds of communities, universities, and schools as “One Book, One Read” selections. She has also written or edited five nonfiction books. Her essays, articles, and reviews have appeared in publications such as the New York Times and the New York Times Book Review, the Boston Globe, the San Francisco Chronicle, Psychology Today, Poets & Writers, and Salon. Born in England and raised in the American South and Maine, she lives in New York City and on Mount Desert Island in Maine.
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Novels by Christina Baker Kline
A Piece of the World
Orphan Train
Orphan Train Girl
The Way Life Should Be
Desire Lines
Sweet Water
Bird in Hand
Copyright
Lines from the poem entitled “The Past” by Oodgeroo Noonuccal (Kath Walker) from the collection Dawn Is at Hand (Marion Boyars, London, 1993).
This book is a work of fiction. References to real people, events, establishments, organizations, or locales are intended only to provide a sense of authenticity, and are used fictitiously. All other characters, and all incidents and dialogue, are drawn from the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real.
the exiles. Copyright © 2020 by Christina Baker Kline. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
first edition
Cover design by Mumtaz Mustafa
Cover photographs © Joel Douillet/Alamy Stock Photo (boat); © Jeanrenaud Photography/Shutterstock (water): © Horacio Selva/Shutterstock (clouds)
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Digital Edition AUGUST 2020 ISBN: 978-0-06-235635-2
Version 07232020
Print ISBN: 978-0-06-235634-5
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