Physical description

273p. ; ill. ; Appendix pp. 274-276 ; light brown cover with title and author embossed in black on front cover

Publication type

fiction

Summary

The story follows the fortunes of Rufus Dawes, a young man transported for a murder that he did not commit. The book clearly conveys the harsh and inhumane treatment meted out to the convicts, some of whom were transported for relatively minor crimes, and graphically describes the conditions the convicts experienced. The novel was based on research by the author as well as a visit to the penal settlement of Port Arthur, Tasmania.