Narrated by over 20 voices, Matthew Kneale’s ambitious historical novel brings a past age to vivid and memorable life.

In the summer of 1857, determined to prove the literal truth of the Bible against atheist geologists, the Reverend Geoffrey Wilson sets out from England on an expedition to find the Garden of Eden, which he is convinced lies on the island of Tasmania. Unknown to him, others in the party have very different agendas. To complicate things further, the ship that Wilson has hurriedly chartered is, in fact, an ill-starred smuggling vessel packed with contraband brandy and tobacco.

Shortlisted
The Booker Prize 2000
Published by
Hamish Hamilton
Publication date
Matthew Kneale

Matthew Kneale

About the Author

Born in London, Matthew Kneale is the author of several critically acclaimed novels, including Sweet Thames which won the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize.
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