“Later, Evangeline would replay this moment in her head a dozen ways – what she might have said or done to throw Agnes off the trail. It probably wouldn’t have mattered. Agnes had never liked her.”
Three women from very different backgrounds find their paths cross in The Exiles. Evangeline is a preacher’s daughter and finds herself caving under the wooing of the son of the household where she is a governess. He gives her a ring, but is accused of stealing it and finds herself condemned to transport to Australia. On the boat, she meets Hazel, the emotionally neglected daughter of a midwife. While they are on board the ship, a young girl named Mathinna is taken from her aboriginal village to be the experiment of the governor and his wife to see if she can be cultured. Hazel works at their house for the prison work program.
I have enjoyed several books by Christina Baker Kline – Orphan Train and Sweet Water. When I saw she had a new book out, The Exiles, I put it on my library hold list. It was several weeks before the book was available as an ebook to check out. I haven’t read many books set in Australia and I was looking forward to reading and learning more about the country’s history.
Evangeline is pregnant by the man who gave her the ring and realizes she will give birth on the boat to Australia. Most men on the ship are brash and brazen and the women are often subjected to their whims. Evangeline comes to Hazel’s rescue one day and creates an enemy who patiently waits for revenge. During this time, Mathinna tries hard to fit in but realizes her skin color will never let her completely be a part of her new world. Yet, memories and words of her old world are slowly fading away.
The Exiles goes back and forth between the three women’s points of view. The first half focuses on Evangeline and Mathinna and the second half focuses on Hazel. There is a big plot moment in the book that I won’t give away, but that really put me off focus as a reader. I feel like the story ended up being about Hazel when the beginning set it up to be about Evangeline and Mathinna. I wanted to know more about them and less about Hazel. While the book was interesting, it wasn’t great in my opinion.
What was the last book you read that ended up being a disappointment? Share in the comments!