I had very high hopes of this book, and I was not disappointed. Curtin applies her trademark historical research skills lavishly, and although at times her in-depth details of research process are a little overbearing, it is not a detriment to the story overall.
The Sinkings is the story of Willa, a woman living in present-day Perth, who is researching the story of Little Jock, a convict sent to Western Australia in the 1800s. The story intertwines between modern-day Perth and 19th-century Britain, following Willa’s search for information about Little Jock’s life and family, with his story unfolding along the way. Her connection to Little Jock begins as a hunch: that he was intersexed, like Willa’s estranged daughter Imogen. Willa researches his life at times obsessively, even flying to England, then Scotland and Ireland to search census and birth records for the convict and his family. Although parts of Little Jock’s story are clearly historical fiction, Willa, and thus the author, draws threads between gaps in the hard facts of birth-incarceration-transportation-death, to create a rich tapestry of famine, prison, family, travel, hardship and secrets.
Although it is at times harrowing to read, I highly recommend this book, if not least of all to educate oneself in research methods, and at best to examine the way the world reacts to those who do not fit into a neat binary of ‘male’ or ‘female’.
