English Passengers

About “English Passengers”

English Passengers is a 2000 historical novel by Matthew Kneale. It follows Captain Illiam Quillian Kewley and his crew of rum smugglers, who are forced to charter their ship, the Sincerity, after most of their contraband is seized by British Customs. The ship is taken by two eccentric Englishmen: Reverend Geoffrey Wilson, who believes the Garden of Eden was in Tasmania, and Dr. Thomas Potter, who has a secret and troubling theory about human races. The crew and passengers set sail toward Tasmania, where they will soon encounter the harsh reality of colonialism. Meanwhile, an Aboriginal man named Peevay tells the story of his people's struggle against the British, who bring both cruelty and misguided good intentions. The novel is told through over twenty different narrators, each with a distinct voice, blending humor, adventure, and historical detail.