Bridget Crack by Rachel Leary

A gripping and moving story of a woman's struggle for survival in a beautiful and brutal landscape, Bridget Crack is a unique and deeply accomplished novel by a rare talent. 

Van Dieman's Land, 1826.

When Bridget Crack arrives in the colony, she is just grateful to be on dry land. But finding the life of an indentured domestic servant intolerable, she pushes back and is punished for her insubordination-sent from one place to another, each significantly worse than the last.

She runs from there and finds herself imprisoned by the impenetrable Tasmanian wilderness. What she finds is a man on the run, who saves her from certain death. Bridget finds herself in impossible situations. In the face of terrible darkness, what will she have to do to survive?