Beginning as a colonial survival narrative, the story then opens up into a study of civilisation, identity and the fragility of performances that separate refinement from instinct.

Cast ashore after a shipwreck, Ellen Roxburgh moves between radically different worlds, forcing White to ask what remains of a person once the structures of class, empire and religion begin to dissolve. White's prose is famously demanding, but also extraordinary. Dense, ironic and often startlingly beautiful, it transforms the Australian landscape into both a physical and psychological force. Beneath the historical setting lies a novel about desire, repression, colonial violence and the stories nations tell about themselves. Widely regarded as one of White's greatest late works, it remains essential reading in Australian literature.

Penguin paperback reprint, 1983. Very good condition with light shelf wear and age toning to the pages. Binding remains firm and the text is clean throughout.