This is a story based (very loosely I suspect) on one of Australia’s only female bushrangers Jessie Hickman, who having been raised by circus owners turned to cattle rustling and petty crime as an adult and ended up in and out of jail. Stories about bushrangers aren't really my thing however this was a book club read so I went in with an open mind. It starts off with a rather macabre description of Jessie killing her premature baby thus setting the harsh and bleak tone that resonates throughout the entire novel. The story is half narrated by the dead baby itself, a literary device that worked well in ‘The lovely bones’ but in my opinion didn't work here. The narration flips back and forth into Jessie’s past and present and we are also introduced to her love interest Jack Brown a part Aboriginal tracker who is tries firstly to save her form her brutal husband Fitz and then from the law. If you think this sounds a bit like an Aussie bushranger style soapie you’d be right as all the elements are present. But it’s not a bad read especially for a debut novel.
