The Diamond Hunter Page 39
I have taken a couple of liberties. First with the nutty flavoured root vegetable cassava, which was introduced into Africa from South America. I am sure I remember the Africans cooking with it when I was living in Ghana. It is versatile and prepared in many ways, but toxic if eaten raw. It is used in the story but I suspect it was unlikely to have been widely available in the Cape Colony in the late nineteenth century. Second, with the baobab tree. Although they are found in Southern Africa, they were not seen deep into the Karoo Desert. Forgive that I couldn’t resist using this curious, rather brilliant tree, with all of its myth, in the story.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Plenty of generous people have contributed their time, energy and knowledge to this story, whose inception began over a pot of tea in the splendid surrounds of some hidden tea rooms in York while I was busy tying up some loose ends for The Pearl Thief.
A cousin I had been close to through childhood but whom I hadn’t seen in maybe a score of years said he’d meet me in York as I was so time poor. After the initial rush of tumbling words catching up, we had settled down and we were onto our second pot of tea, Andrew urged me to write about diamonds. We had been in Paris together aged nineteen, discussing our futures, when we’d churned over the idea of him getting into diamonds – I had several friends involved in the diamond industry back in Brighton on the Sussex coast, where I’d been born and raised. Andrew did just that – he applied to De Beers and his excellent education and fluent French had him posted immediately into Africa, where he spent many years working for the company, before moving into senior marketing roles and ultimately head of communications. ‘Write about diamonds, and I’ll help. I’ll meet you in Cape Town and we’ll go from there.’ And so I must thank my cousin, Andrew Cumine, who did meet me in Cape Town and travel with me to the Big Hole at Kimberley, organised for me to stay at The Kimberley Club – historically a gentlemen-only club – and he opened doors into several organisations, not least of which was getting into De Beers at Kimberley and sitting in its original boardroom.
I began to play with the story of a little girl from Britain growing up in a mining enclave in Africa. This wasn’t so far from my own early years, as my father was involved in gold mining in West Africa, so I could touch all that childhood joy and carefree life within a camp. Plus, the Joseph One-Shoe of this tale is quietly modelled on Adongo from Bibiani . . . someone I loved enormously when I was as young as Clementine.
Alongside us were two very special guides who helped to bring the Cape Colony of Africa in the late nineteenth century to life for me. Alistair Tite, I love your Cape Town and everything you taught me from the journey of ox wagons to introducing me to the joy of warm koeksisters!
Steve Lunderstadt . . . wow! What a mighty resource you’ve been, and you were still advising nearly two years on. Thank you. I think the Big Hole might have just have remained a big hole without you there to help me build the world of diamond diggers in the 1870s. Thank you for everything, and you are one of the most knowledgeable guides I’ve ever had the privilege to walk alongside.
Colin Blanckenburg, thank you for your memories of Kimberley. My thanks to Alan Moss, Martin Stallion and Avril Nanton for your help in the moment of Victorian policing and orphans of African parentage.
It seems these days none of my books get written without the help of two special people. The first is Pip Klimentou, the draft reader who has been reading my raw words since book one back in the year 2000 and whose opinion for story power I rely upon. And Alex Hutchinson – a mighty influence – who meets me each year in either the south or north of England, depending on where my stories adventure, and helps me to find not only amazing locations but fabulous gems of historical interest. A trip to England would feel incomplete without Alex roaming alongside, with her endless knowledge on everything it seems, and I am thrilled that last year her debut book, The Quality Street Girls, went gangbusters in Britain. Hurry up with the second release, Alex. I can’t wait!
The team at Penguin Random House feels like a special little club I belong to. Thank you, Ali Watts, for all your friendship and advice . . . and also to Amanda Martin, Lou Ryan, Ali Hampton, Louisa Maggio and the greater gang.
To my family . . . so glad I’m yours.
Fx
BOOK CLUB NOTES
James Grant hopes that a life in Africa will make his young family proud of him. Does it?
When Clementine is a child, Joseph One-Shoe tells her: ‘Find your strength. It’s always there. It will never fail you if you know where to look.’ Discuss the ways in which Clementine does go on to do exactly that throughout the course of the novel.
In what other ways does Clementine stay true to her connection with Joseph over the years?
Clementine believes that ‘there is always room for more compassion in the world.’ How do her actions display this conviction?
Discuss the significance of the stars in the novel, in particular the Sirius star.
What does family mean to Clementine, and does that change over time?
Will is motivated by ‘duty and honour as a man of business’. What other personality traits does Clementine find to admire in him?
Trust and betrayal are major themes in the novel. In what ways do you see these being explored by the author?
Discuss the ways in which Clementine might be considered a woman ahead of her times.
Clementine finds a way to forgive her Uncle Reggie. Do you? Deep down, do you think he is a good or a bad person?
The novel features evocative descriptions of its two main settings, Africa and England. If you had to choose, which life would you prefer?
Do you think this novel has a happy ending? What do you imagine might happen next to our main characters?
Fiona McIntosh is an internationally bestselling author of novels for adults and children. She co-founded an award-winning travel magazine with her husband, which they ran for fifteen years while raising their twin sons before she became a full-time author. Fiona roams the world researching and drawing inspiration for her novels, and runs a series of highly respected fiction masterclasses. She calls South Australia home.
PRAISE FOR FIONA McINTOSH’S BESTSELLERS
‘A blockbuster of a book that you won’t want to put down.’
BRYCE COURTENAY
‘McIntosh’s narrative races across oceans and dances through ballrooms.’
SUN HERALD
‘This book is fast-paced, beautifully haunting and filled with the excruciating pain of war.’
WEST AUSTRALIAN
‘A fine read . . . The moral ambiguity McIntosh builds into the novel gives it a depth that takes it beyond a sweeping wartime romantic thriller.’
SUNDAY HERALD SUN
‘McIntosh weaves a diverse cast together, and you gain an appreciation for her depth of research.’
BOOKS+PUBLISHING
‘A captivating saga of love, loss, and the triumph of the human spirit . . . Fiona McIntosh is an extraordinary storyteller.’
BOOK’D OUT
‘A perfect blend of romance, action, mystery and intrigue by one of our best known and popular authors.’
NOOSA TODAY
‘Sure to appeal to lovers of period romantic dramas like Downton Abbey.’
WOMAN’S DAY
‘Written with zest and a talent for description that draws you into the world of the novel and its characters.’
THE AGE
‘Everything I want in a curl-up-on-the-sofa read . . . an exquisite story that just bursts from the pages and leaps into your heart.’
WRITE NOTE REVIEWS
‘Meticulously researched and beautifully written, The Perfumer’s Secret solidifies McIntosh’s place as one of Australia’s most loved storytellers.’
BOOKTOPIA
‘Spellbinding . . . [Stella is] reminiscent of our favourite literary heroines of the era, only feistier, sexier and more independent.’
BETTER READING
‘Beautiful stor
ytelling, emotional depth and complex characters captivated me from start to finish.’
WRITE NOTE REVIEWS
‘A grand historical love story ideal for Francophiles and romantics.’
GOODREADS
‘A lively tale with a rich assortment of ingredients . . . a well-crafted read.’
SYDNEY MORNING HERALD
MICHAEL JOSEPH
UK | USA | Canada | Ireland | Australia
India | New Zealand | South Africa | China
Michael Joseph is part of the Penguin Random House group of companies whose addresses can be found at global.penguinrandomhouse.com.
First published by Michael Joseph 2019
Copyright © Fiona McIntosh 2019
The moral right of the author has been asserted.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, published, performed in public or communicated to the public in any form or by any means without prior written permission from Penguin Random House Australia Pty Ltd or its authorised licensees.
Cover photography: girl by © Alexander Vinogradov/Trevillion Images; street scene © Lee Avison/Trevillion Images; flourish by Rawpixel.com/Shutterstock
Inside front cover photo by Joanna Czogala/Arcangel
Internal design: diamonds by Ikonacolour/Shutterstock and flourish by Rawpixel.com/Shutterstock
Cover design by Louisa Maggio © Penguin Random House Australia Pty Ltd
ISBN 9780143787808
penguin.com.au
Sign up to Read More and discover new favourites
Visit penguin.com.au/readmore