7.6 /10 1 Votes
Language English Media type Print (Paperback) Followed by The Steele Diaries Genre Novel Country Australia | 3.8/5 Goodreads Publication date 2005 Pages 351 Originally published 2005 Page count 351 ISBN 1740513835 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Publisher Random House, Australia Similar The Steele Diaries, War and Survival in Sudan's F, The ceremonial animal, The listening ebony | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Out of the Silence (2005) is a novel by Australian author Wendy James. It won the 2006 Ned Kelly Award for Best First Crime Novel.
Contents
Plot summary
The novel is based on the true-life story of Maggie Heffernan, who, in early 1900, was convicted in Melbourne of the drowning murder of her infant son. The novel follows her grim journey from the country to the city, vainly seeking her ex-fiance, finding herself destitute and finally accused of a dreadful crime. Vida Goldstein is an educated single woman running a local private school, campaigning for votes for women and contemplating running for parliament. Elizabeth Hamilton lives in Vida's aunt's house in suburban Melbourne - an upper middle-class life that provides a sharp contrast with poor Maggie's circumstances. Elizabeth and Vida take up Maggie's cause after her arrest and while their efforts don't meet with total success, all characters are changed by the events within the book.
Reviews
Mindy Laube in The Sydney Morning Herald noted: "Rich period detail and a humane realism inform this stunning debut."