PENGUIN CLASSICS VOSS

Set in nineteenth-century Australia, Voss is the story of the secret passion between an explorer and a young orphan. Although they have met only a few times, Voss and Laura are joined by overwhelming, obsessive feelings for each other. Voss sets out to cross the continent; as hardships, mutiny and betrayal whittle away his power to endure and to lead, his attachment to Laura increases in force. Laura, waiting in Sydney, moves through the months of separation as if they were a dream and Voss the only reality.

From the careful delineation of Victorian society to the sensitive rendering of hidden life to the stark narrative of adventure in the Austrian desert, Partick White’s novel is one of extraordinary power and virtuosity.