The Girl In The Painting
Australian historical fiction writer, Tea Cooper, has produced another historical fiction novel, hot on the heels of: The Naturalist’s Daughter and The Woman in the Green Dress. The Girl in the Painting is another multi-time period novel about early Australia. Predominantly set in Maitland, New South Wales, the novel spans the time periods of 1863 to 1873 and 1906 to 1913 and covers topics as diverse and seemingly unconnected as orphanages, Chinese gold rush settlement and mathematical savants.
In the more recent era, an elderly businessman, Michael Quinn, and his sister, Elizabeth, take in Jane, a young woman from the local orphanage. She’s mathematically gifted and proves an asset in their business accounting. When Elizabeth becomes hysterical at a local exhibition, and rapidly descends into mental confusion, Jane sets on a course of investigation of Elizabeth’s past to try to determine what triggered her distress. Past and present converge as unexpected family and local secrets are uncovered with dramatic results.
Cooper excels at creating strong and unique female characters set within interesting backdrops of Australian social history. Of particular note in The Girl in the Painting is the inclusion of Chinese settlers, the role they played in the Australian gold rush era and the challenges they faced integrating into western communities.
