When Jimmie Blacksmith marries a white woman the back lash from both Jimmie's tribe and white society initiates a series of dramatic events. As Jimmie tries to survive between two cultures, tensions build reaching a head when the Newbys, Jimmie's white employers, try to break up his marriage. The Newby women are murdered and Jimmie flees, pursued by police and vigilantes. The hunt intensifies as further murders are committed, and concludes with tragic results.
Thomas Keneally's fictionalised account of the nineteenth century Aboriginal, Jimmy Governor, is an extraordinary story of a black man's revenge against an unjust and intolerant society. This book has been lauded since its original publication and its subsequent film adaptation.
Shortlisted for the Booker Prize.
