Bigamy

The novel opens with a woman dressed in all black, performing a vengeful act on her husband of fifteen years, whom she has just found out to have committed bigamy with a twenty-three-year-old woman in another part of Australia and has a child with her, leaving Mary to feed and bring up her seven children with little support and no money. The story moves through Marys life as she tackles poverty head-on and makes a living using her skills to make whisky. Her family is linked to a wealthy doctors family, and as the children grow and mature, their stories come into play. There is sadness, grief, hurt, and love in all its many forms, and there is forgiveness, gentleness, and respect. The novel draws on family history passed down through generations, although names have been changed. It is a story about family love and forgiveness, which many people will enjoy reading for pleasure.