FORGOTTEN FOOTPRINTS by ROSEMARY HAYES. Reviewed by Ann Turnbull.

 
   I was first drawn to this book by the beautiful cover. It's a dramatic adventure story based on the real-life loss of a Dutch merchant ship, the Zuytdorp, in a storm in 1712 off the west coast of Australia. From the known facts - that the ship had lost contact with her sister ship, that food supplies were low, and that some of the people aboard were known to have survived, Rosemary Hayes has created a strong, credible and moving narrative with a powerful heroine.

   Fifteen-year-old Annie is the daughter of Andries Jansz, an employee of the Dutch East India Company, and his pregnant wife Susan. Andries is going out to a new job, overseeing the company's warehouses in Java. On the long voyage Annie meets Francois, a young midshipman, and their developing youthful romance runs alongside Annie's involvement in helping the ship's doctor with his work and in teaching a downtrodden ship's boy to read and write.

   The voyage is beset by problems - bad weather, fever and delays - and many people die, including the doctor. Andries becomes ill with fever, and Susan is forced to give birth to her child - the longed-for son - on board ship.

   From this point on, the story becomes unputdownable as the ship is pounded by violent storms and eventually wrecked on the coast of Australia. Half of those on board are drowned; others die later as they struggle to survive and set up a camp.

   How the survivors make a place to live, encounter local tribes and hunt for food, makes for a dramatic story. Susan feeds the baby, but she has lost the will to live, and it's Annie who must take care of him, while Francois protects her from the attentions of some of the rougher men. She is able to rely on Francois until the moment when he has to leave with a group of crewmen seeking a better site for a permanent settlement.

   This is a well-constructed story in which every element is made to count. It grows and develops and delivers a powerful ending that took me by surprise.  Easy to read, with strong emotions and plenty of action, it's suitable for anyone aged about eleven or over.


Published by Troika Books, 2017.


www.annturnbull.com




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Taken, by Rosemary Hayes, reviewed by Pauline Francis

 

I have known Rosemary Hayes – and her novels – for many years. When she published my first novel, she gave up an entire day to edit it with me. That detailed Master Class has stood me in good stead ever since.

The cover of Taken, with its butterfly motif and open hand, makes the reader think instantly about freedom – and therefore, its opposite – lack of freedom. And this freedom has as much to do with mental freedom as much as physical.

Kelly’s father disappeared four years ago, when she was ten years old. It was thought that he had committed suicide, although his body was never found. Kelly has found it very difficult to accept his death.  She has been very much a prisoner in her mind ever since.

Is her father dead? If not, where is he? Did she see him just now in the trees at the park or was it her imagination playing tricks because it’s Autumn again, the time of the year he disappeared?

Kelly confides in her best friend, Lizzie, who is dismayed.

“What if Kelly is losing it again?” she asks herself.

As soon as Kelly glimpses (or thinks she glimpses) her father, she loses her freedom again – the freedom to be honest with her mother, brother, Gran and Lizzie. They are desperate to put the past behind them. She has to go it alone, until she confides in her new friend, Jack.

Events in this novel gather pace quickly, as secrets and lies pile up, forcing Kelly to go in search of the truth. But, as so often in real life, the truth hurts.

Hayes weaves the ups and downs of teenage life into this mystery story and it is uplifting to see the increasing closeness between Kelly and her family. I found the scenes with brother Nat tender and convincing. Kelly’s Gran is an especially intriguing and well drawn character.  Although Kelly calls her “a neurotic temperamental nightmare,” it is Lizzie who leads us to the heart of her character. Cleverly, Kelly’s absent father is constantly present in everybody’s thoughts – especially the reader’s. There is an ever-increasing contrast between the gentle artist father Kelly remembers and the person she doesn’t know at all.

Taken is a well-constructed story told by a very experienced author who knows just when – and how- to increase the tension. The twist at the end is clever and poignant - and offers some hope and stability at last for Kelly. But it does mean that she will have to live with some degree of uncertainty – as will the reader.

Hayes says: “Ransom are selling it as YA (12+) which I think is about right. Although it is (I hope) very easy to read, there is some violence towards the end – and some kissing, too.”

This is a timely novel, reminding us of the threat of terrorism that we all face. Kelly’s sacrifice is as great as her father’s and all those who are working to make our world safe. We should not forget that there must be many Kellys in the real world.

Pauline Francis www.paulinefrancis.co.uk

 

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