The Orphans by Fiona McIntosh is the highly anticipated, new, historical novel by the bestselling author of The Spy’s Wife.
In Port Adelaide, Fleur Appleby, who was orphaned as a baby, has been fortunate to have been adopted by an undertaker and his wife, who raise her lovingly as their own. As she grows, Fleur takes great interest in her adopted father’s business. She has developed a rapport with bereaved families and is able to reassure and comfort them as her father prepares their loved ones for burial. She is determined to be the first female mortician in the country and also hopes to attract more women into what is currently a male-dominated funeral business enterprise.
In the outback of South Australia’s Flinders Ranges, young Tom Catchlove is faced with a life-changing tragedy. Growing up life is hard, but his dreams are big, as he endeavours to make a future for himself as a wool classer.
As children, Fleur and Tom meet in a chance encounter, which will eventually change the course of their lives!
As the years pass, Fleur finds herself in a difficult position. Her widowed father has married a money-grabbing, scheming woman, who would like Fleur gone! Her father is drinking away the profits from their business as Fleur tries desperately to keep it going.
When Tom leaves the ranges for the city and finds work at the port wool stores, his path crosses with Fleur’s again. Unwittingly, he is caught up in a murder investigation and the couple realises that they must trust in each other to retain hope for the future.
Once again Fiona’s research before embarking on this unforgettable novel is unequalled. Due to the pandemic, she looked for her next story in the place she calls home. A small ghost town on The Outback Highway inspired the character, Tom. Then, travelling to Farina, she learnt of her husband’s ancestors’ journey from the UK to a remote settlement in the Australian desert. There she discovered the complexities of wool classing and the hard life of the hired shearer.
Fiona also carried out meticulous research regarding the mortuary and the funeral business in particular. She was re-assured by the absolute respect, care and compassion of the funeral directors, and based the character of Fleur upon this empathy with their clients.
She also set her narrative in the city of Adelaide, which has a long history of ground-breaking women. In all, this has made her latest novel, not only an authentic celebration of female morticians but also a tribute to those who worked so hard in the past, under difficult conditions, to make Australia what it is today!
The Orphans is a heart-warming/heart-wrenching read for the year.
ISBN: 9781761041563
Publisher: Penguin Australia
The Orphans is available in paperback, e-book and audiobook
About Fiona McIntosh
Fiona McIntosh is an internationally bestselling author of novels for adults and children. She co-founded an award-winning travel magazine with her husband, which they ran for fifteen years while raising their twin sons before she became a full-time author. Fiona roams the world researching and drawing inspiration for her novels, and runs a series of highly respected fiction masterclasses. She calls South Australia home.
Leave a Reply