Wanting - Richard Flanagan

I am not sure why, but I am drawn to novels set in Tasmania, both contemporary (Cate Kennedy's "The World Beneath", which I loved) and historical. "Wanting" falls into the latter category and showcases Flanagan's affinity for Tasmania and its landscape. His treatment of the fractured relationship between European settlers and the dwindling indigenous population was novel and (perhaps because of that) very confronting. The theme of human desires emerged strongly through the interweaving of Methinna and Lady Jane's stories, and provided an interesting comment on the social constraints of the 19th century (related to gender and race) that prevented Lady Jane from expressing her heart's true yearning. 

I did not really enjoy the juxtaposition of the Dickens and Van Diemen's land story-lines. I felt the link was too tenuous and to me the Dickens chapters felt contrived and generally like an interruption of the more interesting tale set in Australia. Nevertheless, the novel gave me a great deal of pause for thought and made me feel very sad.