THE DROVER'S WIFE: THE LEGEND OF MOLLY JOHNSON by Leah Purcell

Is there a talent Leah Purcell doesn't have?

The Drover’s Wife: The Legend of Molly Johnson by Leah Purcell started it’s life as a play, written and performed by the brilliant Australian actor, based on the famed short story by Henry Lawson. The success of the play saw it developed into a film and a novel, written by Purcell. This is a book that is studied widely in Australian school’s and universities, and it is easy to see why - it is a story with many layers and which can be utilised in a number of ways to develop literary analysis skills.

It was on that basis that I thought I would read it, combined with my overall fan-girling of Purcell. I can’t recall anything I have seen her in on film that hasn’t been wonderful, and this novel was no different.

It tells the story of drover’s wife, Moly Johnson, living in the Snowy Mountain High Country with her four children, heavily pregnant with another. Her husband Joe is away droving, as he is wont to for many months of the year.

Molly’s family soon come into contact with the new police officer from nearby Everton, an Englishman named Nate, and his wife, Louisa, who is an early version of women’s suffragette after the death of her sister to domestic violence. Upon arrival in Everton, Nat is faced with the brutal murder of a local white woman and her three children, and, as was the norm in those days, the suspect was quickly narrowed down to an Aboriginal man in the area, Yadaka. Yadaka was passing through on his way north from Melbourne, returning to country after decades away.

Molly finds Yadaka near her shanty and, despite herself, allows him to stay nearby to help her, given her late-stage in pregnancy. Over the course of days, the two grow to trust and care for each other.

I really loved this book - Purcell’s story telling is riveting and engaging. There are many changes in narrator - sometimes from section to section - which sometimes means it takes a moment to become clear who is speaking. However, this is not usually difficult to ascertain and doesn’t diminish from the story development.

Of course, the wonderful strength of this book is that the lead character in a period piece being a woman, and an Aboriginal woman at that. We definitely don’t have enough Australian stories centering on the Aboriginal woman’s experience. Molly is a tough, strong, smart woman. A loving mother. A good person. I loved reading her story, despite the heartbreak, violence and pain she experiences throughout her life.

I will definitely be seeking out the film to watch and love this reimagining of Lawson’s short story. If Australian literature and the landscape of this sunburned country appeals to you, this novel surely will, too.