I am thrilled to report that The Housemaid's Daughter has now been released in Australia - in fact it caught me by surprise by coming out a week or 2 sooner than I expected. So... welcome to my new readers Down Under!
Apparently the book has had a fast start, and nipped onto the list of Top Ten Literature titles at Dymocks. Wow! That was quick.
Those of you who know what the book looks like in the UK, will see from the picture above that a brand new cover has been unveiled for the edition in Australia, and also for the soon-to-be-released editions in New Zealand, South Africa and Canada. I think it's beautiful, and repeats the hot colours of the Karoo and the rural landscape, and the poignant figues of woman and child against a subtle musical watermark...
While I was visiting New Zealand and Australia at the beginning of the year, and talking to my publishers there, they were saying that the theme of migration and integration that is at the centre of the book will have a strong resonance with their readers. It's about where we have come from, one said, and where we hope to go. And how we have learnt to share the land with those who arrived before - and after - we did.
I think Ada and Cath in the book would agree.
