Reviews

It is England, 1836. The Reverend William Yate is returning to New Zealand, where he has begun a mission to save the Maori 'savages'. He joins an interesting mix of passengers and crew, and they all have a voice in relating the story of their long journey. There is the consumptive doctor, the dandy Mr Armistead, the enticing Miss Button, Mr Yate's fellow missionaries the Taylors, the naïve cabin-boy on his first journey, and the hardened crew members with their hierarchy and rituals. Jagose's research for this, her third novel, must have been prodigious, and she retells this true story in intimate detail, bringing an impressive variety of characters to life. In the process, she reveals the deep passions of many of those on the voyage, as a scandalous affair brews. Unfortunately, the ship is becalmed on about page 100, and the momentum of the story along with it. Things rev up when the ship reaches Sydney and the scandal involving Yate comes to a head, but this may come too late for many impatient readers. Nonetheless, for readers prepared to stick with it, especially those with an interest in the day-to-day lives and intimate thoughts of would-be colonials and missionaries, Slow Water has much to offer. Tim Coronel is AB&P's assistant editor. C. 2003 Thorpe-Bowker and contributors