Author Claire McGregor resides in Upper Plenty, and over the last 10 years an idea for a story has made its way onto the pages of her recently published book, The Missionary’s Wife.
The novel is based on a true story about the lives of two missionaries in Vanuatu, and the events that happened to them there in the late 19th century.
Ms McGregor said the story was inspired by a family holiday to Vanuatu, where an adventure in a canoe led to a tiny island, and there she came across some hidden gravestones, which she later researched.
“I looked them up and saw that they were missionaries. I was just struck with the thought, ‘what made them leave their homes in Canada … to travel all the way to Vanuatu and live on this tiny island in the Pacific?’” she said.
“Once I started looking into these people’s stories, I found that, mainly from Australia, ships would go out to Vanuatu and steal islanders to work in the cane fields of Queensland.”
Ms McGregor writes from the viewpoint of a young heroine named Annetta, who has recently married a man who has chosen to serve God as a missionary. Her purpose is to help her husband, but she is unaware of the ordeals that await her, and how her faith and moral compass will be tested.
“It’s a dark chapter of Australian history and quite a fascinating subject. I can’t write this story and not include this slave trade, because it deeply affected the islanders and the missionaries too. It was a curse to their lives and what they were trying to do there,” Ms McGregor said.
There are four parts to the book, 45 chapters to enjoy, and in the afterword, there are additional pages to show the history of the island, the missionaries, and the labour trade the book is based on.
Look for an idyllic island watercolour scene on its cover, with palm trees, soft waves, and a pink bougainvillea vine, and then the suspicious sailing ship near the shore, being met by two canoes. It really does make you wonder, ‘what happened to the missionary’s wife?’
The book is available to buy as a hardback, paperback, or a large print edition from all good bookstores, and it is also available as an eBook.
Ms McGregor is an editor and book designer, and this is her first work of fiction.
Direct sales are available at www.clairemcgregor.com.au.
