A view from the other side: our convict society from a different viewpoint.

It is of interest to know the portrayal of our country in North America children's books. In this occasional series, I provide a view from the 'Other Side.'

As an Australian living in North America, one of the things that people over here seem most fascinated by is Australia's convict past. Friends and associates often comment on the topic--sometimes in expressions of curiosity and marvel and, at other times, as a form of jovial derision. One of the things that I find intriguing is that Americans are so aware of Australia's convict heritage, but blithely ignorant of the fact that tens of thousands of convicts had previously been sent from England to America. Indeed, one of the primary reasons convicts were sent to Australia was the advent of the War of Independence and the resultant cessation of transportation of convicts to America.

With this fascination in Australia's convict heritage, Beverley Boissery's new book, Sophie's Exile (2008, Dundurn, Toronto), is likely to engender interest. Sophie's Exile is the final book in Boissery's 'Sophie' book series, detailing the adventures of young Sophie Mallory. In the first book in the trilogy, Sophie's Rebellion, Sophie found herself caught in the Rebellion in Lower Canada during 1838. In the second book, Sophie's Treason, Sophie and her guardian, Lady Theodosia Thornleigh, and friend, Luc Moriset, struggled to prevent Sophie's father and Luc's brother from death at the gallows for their alleged involvement in the rebellion. In Sophie's Exile, the story continues in the penal colony of New South Wales, where Benjamin Mallory and Marc Moriset have been transported as convicts.

Canadian Convicts: Boissery is a historian recognised as an authority on the subject of Lower Canada's (now Quebec) 1837-1838 rebellion, where the French vented their frustrations at British colonial government. Boissery has Australian roots and her knowledge of the historical and geographical setting is evident in the writing. The story setting provides an authentic and generally appropriately gloomy, challenging backdrop to the main story events.

Boissery's fictional characters, Benjamin Mallory and Marc Moriset, are based on real life convicts who were sent to Australia as part of a group of Canadian rebels sentenced to transportation. About 150 Canadian state prisoners were sent to Van Diemen's Land and New South Wales, including almost 60 French Canadians known as les patriotes transported for involvement in the Lower Canada rebellion. All of the French Canadian rebels eventually received pardons and most returned to Canada but, while in New South Wales, they earned a reputation for their good behaviour and were involved in the construction of Parramatta Road. The Canadian convicts today are honoured in the name of the Sydney suburb, Canada Bay.

First Impressions: Sophie, Lady Theo and Luc travel from London to Sydney aboard HMS Swiftsail, a tiresome five month journey that sees the immigrants anxious to reach their destination. Alas, despite their desire to be near Benjamin and Marc, the new arrivals are dismayed when, before they have even disembarked, one of the first sights they see in the new colony is that of a convict chain gang, shackled together, working as beasts of burden beneath the whip of a guard. The scene is a stark reminder to Sophie and her companions that life in New South Wales is going to be harsh, particularly so for their convict loved ones.

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Sophie's Exile commences in November 1840, by which time Sophie is 14 and Luc is 15. I was particularly impressed by the opening scenes in the book--the arrival of the Swiftsail in Sydney's harbour. Given Australia's physical isolation, one can imagine the interest and excitement that the rare arrival of a passenger ship would have generated in 1840. Without saying so (she does a great job of showing, rather than telling), Boissery illustrates that excitement with such things as a flotilla of boats meeting the arriving ship, including a newspaper man rowing out to greet the ship, anxious to purchase foreign newspapers. The immigrants are also able to sell their 'ship's clothes' because, although soiled from the long voyage, the clothes reflect the fashions of London. The dock is crowded with people waiting to see the new arrivals disembark from the ship. It is a scene of excitement and curiosity, extremely well crafted by Boissery.

A Unique Perspective: One of the more interesting features of Sophie's Exile is that the penal settlement is portrayed primarily from the perspective of free upper class inhabitants. Australia's convict story is most often told in children's literature from the perspective of the convict inhabitants, as is the case, for instance, with Jackie French's Tom Appleby Convict Boy and Gary Crew and Philip Neilsen's Edward Britton. Lady Theodosia is a cousin of Queen Victoria and the daughter of an English Earl. Boissery's upper class, free settler perspective provides an interesting viewpoint in cases such as when Sophie and Lady Theo attend a garden party with Governor Gipps at Government House. Sophie is hot, tired and uncomfortable and, horror of horrors, discovers that another guest is wearing an identical dress (!). Elsewhere, Cousin Mary describes the presence of a neighbour as 'sheer torture.' This juxtaposition of the suffering of the wealthy story protagonists against the backdrop of the brutality of convict society is an interesting story-telling device that works very well for Boissery.

North American readers will be interested in reading about how Boissery's characters endure a variety of trials as they are confronted by the peculiar challenges of life in Australia--the extreme heat and the women's unsuitable heavy dresses, the threat of such things as snakes and sharks, as well as city pickpockets and country bushrangers. 'In God's name, what kind of country is it?' demands Wynsham, the English butler, in disgust. Yet, later, the same butler notes the opportunities that exist for him and for others in the new land. 'The rules are so different here,' Wynsham says. Certainly, the rules are different and, as the characters begin to look upon Australia with fresh eyes, they begin to acknowledge some of the charm of the place, including first encounters with kangaroos and koalas, the eucalyptus smell of the gum trees, and the vibrantly coloured birdlife. Boissery's Australia is a land of contrasts, of beauty and of peril. 'For every pleasure, there [is] also the threat of danger.'

I consider Sophie's Exile to be the best book in the trilogy and, unlike the second book, a reader can choose to read Sophie's Exile without having read the work that preceded it. Boissery succinctly provides whatever details from the first two books that are necessary to understand and enjoy the final book.

Boissery's descriptive writing has always been a feature of the Sophie books. Whereas I found some parts of the first two novels rather slow moving for an adolescent audience, I was pleased that the plot for Sophie's Exile moves considerably quicker and is much less predictable, containing a number of unexpected surprises. In Sophie's Exile, Boissery does a good job of portraying life in the penal colony of New South Wales. When next I am asked about Australia's convict heritage, I will direct my questioner to this book because I think that many American and Canadian readers will learn a great deal from the reading experience.