Kate Grenville has already won the prestigious Orange Prize, and this, her latest novel, just won the 2006 Commonwealth Prize. (How could it win if it hasn’t come out yet? Well, it is out — but only in Australia. This is the first American edition.) Part historical saga, part family memoir, The Secret River traces Grenville’s ancestors’ trials and tribulations, from their arrival in early 19th-century Australia as exiled criminals, through decades of struggle and triumph. But beware — the dreaded word “colonialism” crops up in the first sentence of the press release, and sure enough Grenville uses her fluid style to bonk her readers on the head with a little too much PC guilt-mongering than might be absolutely necessary.
Grade: B+