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Chasing the Light (Jesse Blackadder, HarperCollins)

It’s the early 1930s. Whaling is booming in Antarctic waters while the fight for dominance over the land continues. The race to become the first woman to reach Antarctica is ongoing, and both would-be adventurer Lillemor Rachlew and Ingrid, the wife of whaling magnate Lars Christensen, intend to claim the title. Along with unwilling companion Mathilde Wegger, these women embark on a journey to fulfil their dreams, which will also change them in ways they never expected. Jesse Blackadder exposes the brutal horrors of the whaling industry in horrifying, stomach-churning detail, alongside sumptuous descriptions of a beautiful, isolated land and the majestic creatures that inhabit it. This is a slow-moving story of the treacherous pursuit of a world that is both utterly gorgeous and terrifyingly dangerous, as well as a study of three women who are in turns ruthless, selfish and manipulative, and kind, adventurous and brave. These women are achingly real. Set in an era when the new-found independence of women chafed with the patriarchal world, this is a wonderful example of painstakingly researched historical fiction from a bright Australian talent.

Meg Whelan works at Hill of Content bookshop in Melbourne

 

Category: Reviews