A rollicking literary and historical ride from one of Australia’s greatest novelists.
Several years ago, renowned Australian author Robert Drewe was shown a portrait in the National Library. It was of a small boy, 10 years old: “Johnny Day, the pedestrian wonder, and champion of the world.” Fascinated, Drewe went on to learn that Day had been a child walking-champion of international renown, and had then gone on to win the Melbourne Cup, riding a horse aptly named Nimblefoot. Just after this success, he disappeared from the history books.
Drewe’s intrigue with this young chap has led him to imagine what happened to Day. The result is this delightful and quirky novel, Nimblefoot.
The novel opens with one of Day’s first race wins, in Australia. Drewe paints a picture of the various eccentric contestants, many of whom carry objects (in one case, an entire sheep!) or dress in costumes. The pedestrian race was a Victorian phenomenon attracting enormous crowds, and large bets. And it is clearly fantastic fodder for a writer. The narrative arc then moves from Johnny’s childhood through to his (imagined) life until his mid-20s, with chapters jumping from third person to first. Drewe’s bloodhound research skills combine with his lyrical writing to deliver a story that is engrossing, wryly humorous, and chock-full of fascinating historical detail. He takes Johnny from Ballarat all the way over to Western Australia, settling him in Drewe’s own home-turf.
Nimblefoot paints a portrait of white Australian society in the mid-19th century: its restrictive class structure; its deference to British aristocracy; its troubled relationship with Indigenous people; and its attempts to find its own identity. The section of the story set in Owen Anchorage builds scenes around the Quarantine Hospital and the Chinese community, adding yet more layers to the work. Characters who work their way into the story (either from fact, or from the author’s imagination) include Lola Montez, Adam Lindsay Gordon, Prince Alfred, and Anthony Trollope. He also manages, within a very male-dominated story, to evoke the double-standard and attitudes towards women, and sexuality. One particularly bleak and horrifying scene in a Melbourne brothel is handled sensitively by telling through the innocent eyes of young Day himself.
Every turn of the page brings a surprising fact, or twist, or description. This is no slow-burn read. Drewe delivers a rollicking tale, an engrossing piece of historical fiction, and a sympathetic and likeable Day. The writing has an immediacy, yet one that still allows for the poetry and lyricism to shine through.
Nimblefoot is another winner from the pen of a master.
Reviewed by Tracey Korsten
Twitter: @TraceyKorsten
This review is the opinion of the reviewer and not necessarily of Glam Adelaide.
Distributed by: Penguin Books Australia
Released: August 2022
RRP: $32.99
More News
