Vernon Lee Walker, a young Englishman from industrial Wolverhampton,
meets his death on a beach on Pentecost Island in the South Pacific on
the eve of Christmas 1887.
Why did Vernon die, in what circumstances, and who was responsible? Was
he, as once branded, simply a 'bad colonist'? Or was he a Candide, an
innocent abroad, mixing invisibly with the rich and famous, manipulated
by a calculating brother, unable to change the world around him?
An historian finds Vernon's letters home to England, spanning a dozen
years. With decreasing frequency, these follow his trajectory, first in
Melbourne and Sydney, then as he yields to the spell of the Pacific. But
what happens between the lines? Does he fall in love with his brother's
wife? What does a boy not tell his mother?
The novelist steps in. This is a unique fusion of authentic history and
informed invention - a tragic story of colonialism in Australia and the
Pacific, told with compassion, humor and a deep understanding of time
and place.
