Author Sienna Brown’s debut novel poses thorny questions about Australia’s past as it reimagines the life of a 19th century slave and convict
Born a slave on Jamaican plantation in 1800, William Buchanan’s life was remarkable. After taking part in the 1831 rebellion that catalysed the end of slavery in his country of birth, Buchanan’s tragedy was that he never got to reap the benefits – instead he was imprisoned and sent as a convict to Australia, never to return.
Sienna Brown came across his story while working as a guide at Sydney’s Hyde Park Barracks, which in the early days of colonial New South Wales housed convicts. Though raised in Canada, Brown was born in Jamaica. “I thought, let me just see if any of my fellow countrymen were actually there,” she says. Research uncovered a handful – but it was Buchanan’s story that stood out.
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