Sarjan is an Historical Novel that spans twenty-five
years and two cultures, as it weaves a tale of the establishment of the
Swan River Colony in Western Australia. It follows the lives of two
young settler siblings, Sara Jane (Sarjan), William (Willem) and an
Aboriginal boy (Yeddi) brought together in tragic circumstances.The
adventures of these characters transport the reader from the 1829
arrival of Captain James Stirling and Thomas Peel with the first white
settlers, to skirmishes with Aborigines (culminating in the Pinjarra
massacre), to South Africa’s Cape Colony and back to the mother country
in England, and a detour to the Victorian Goldfields, before returning
to Fremantle.
Sarjan is a story of pioneering spirit,
hardship, adventure, fulfilment, heartaches and love, of the trials
faced by those of conflicting cultures, and of the bonding that can
occur despite different backgrounds.
It has been described as ‘the best book ever read’ and ‘better than Thorn Birds’. Read it and you will understand why.
