A breathtakingly brilliant debut novel in the tradition of Cormac McCarthy, inspired by the life of legendary female outlaw Jessie Hickman.
A 'Piece of Passion' from Sam Redman, Assistant Editor, Allen & Unwin...
'The Burial is an astonishing debut that grabbed me by the scruff of the neck well over a year ago and still hasn’t released its grip. Reminiscent of Cormac McCarthy but with the feistiest heroine around, it combines a startling skill for describing landscape with a gothic touch that grabs the reader from the outset. Just like Jessie holds onto life with everything she has, down to teeth and broken nails, you will want to hold onto this novel from start to finish, and even then you will be reluctant to put it down.'
It is the dawn of the twentieth century in Australia and a woman has done an unspeakable thing. Twenty-two-year-old Jessie has served a two-year sentence for horse rustling. As a condition of her release she is apprenticed to Fitzgerald 'Fitz' Henry, who wants a woman to allay his loneliness in a valley populated by embittered ex-soldiers. Fitz wastes no time in blackmailing Jessie and involving her in his horse rustling and cattle stealing enterprises. When Fitz is wounded in an accident he hires Aboriginal stockman Jack Brown to steal horses with Jessie. Soon both Jack Brown and Jessie are struggling against the oppressive and deadening grip of Fitz. One catastrophic night turns Jessie's life on its head and she must flee. From her lonely outpost, the mountains beckon as a place to escape. But first she must bury the evidence...
The Burial is the debut novel of Courtney Collins. It has been optioned for a feature film by Pure Pictures. Courtney grew up in the Hunter Valley in NSW. She now lives on the Goulburn River in regional Victoria.
