Nimblefoot (Robert Drewe, Hamish Hamilton)

In Nimblefoot, Robert Drewe imagines the second act in the life of Australian historical figure Johnny Day, an international star in the 19th-century sport of pedestrianism at age 10 and jockey for the 1870 Melbourne Cup–winner at 14, all before he promptly disappeared from public life. As Drewe tells it, Johnny goes on the run after witnessing the depravity and criminal behaviour of high society while celebrating his Cup win with the visiting Prince Alfred. Johnny flees west, first to Albany, then to Fremantle and the South West, before his final stop at Frenchman Bay. All the while, he’s pursued by those who want him silenced—the same men who killed his dad, a humble Ballarat butcher, when he spoke up about the kind of behaviour his son saw. Drewe presents a convincing recreation of late 19th-century Victoria and Western Australia, with research on specific places—such as the Woodman Point Quarantine Station and the abattoirs at nearby Robb Jetty—offering a window into the unique lives of workers in these industries. They are the backdrop for a series of stories of death and misadventure, with many detours into the maladies and treatments of the time: mysterious fevers, snakebites, poisonous grubs and the varied medical uses of leeches. The sometimes zany episodes and the greater narrative arc of how Johnny always manages to stay one step ahead of his would-be captors make for an interesting tale. However, for all the wild happenings, the book lacks a deeper exploration of much else aside from Johnny’s fate, and therefore feels a bit hollow. Despite that, Nimblefoot is engaging and made to entertain, and should find an audience with readers interested in quirky Australian stories.

Brad Jefferies is the digital editor at Books+Publishing.

Books+Publishing pre-publication reviews are supported by the Copyright Agency Cultural Fund.

Category: Reviews