A novel about the 1629 wreck of the Batavia off the coast of Australia - and its barbaric aftermath.

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Product Description

THE ACCOMPLICE describes one of the most shocking events of the seventeenth century: the wreck of the Dutch ship Batavia off the coast of Western Australia, and the extraordinary events that befell its stranded survivors. Combining a gripping narrative with vivid historical detail, THE ACCOMPLICE is a beautiful, terrifying, deeply moving novel of love and anarchy.

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #875974 in Books
• Published on: 2004-01-05
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 320 pages

Tracy Chevalier, author of FALLING ANGELS and GIRL WITH A PEARL EARRING
'A powerful and heartbreaking novel'

Mirror
Heyman is in tune with the etiquette and nuances of the age. It's a shocking story but she has a real gift for it's telling

Sunday Herald
'A superb mixture of lyricism and economy'

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Customer Reviews

A Stunning Story of Survival
The Accomplice tells the the story of Judith Bastiaansz, a survivor of the sinking of The Batavia in the 1600's. Judith tells the story from the perspective of time -she's an older woman, waiting for her grandchild to be born, and trying to find some sort of peace. By placing the story after the events of the mutiny, the writer makes the novel about more than shipwreck, and much more than a page-turning tale of adventure. The novel becomes about what people do to survive, and how they carry on after tragedy. It raises contemporary issues: how will the survivors of war and terrorism live with decisions they make? Judith labours under a feeling of guilt, for events which she ultimately realises are not her doing. The book forces the reader to consider their own lives and actions, and the ways in which we are all connected. It's terribly sad, and frightening, but also, in the end, hopeful and optimistic. I couldn't put this book down, and was astonished by some of the beautiful images. This is a brilliant take on the Batavia story.

would make a brilliant film!
On first glance I thought this looked a bit grim : it's a story of a shipwreck in the 17th Century based on true events. It certainly isn't a light-hearted beach read that's for sure but it is totally gripping and fascinating in its depiction of mutiny and human nature in all forms. It really draws the reader in and the main character is well depicted. I totally recommend this novel for all ages and tastes : it is utterly compelling and original.

A 'must' read
The Accomplice was one of those books that I just couldn't put down. The language flowed like poetry and the story was gripping, terrifying and utterly compelling. The Accomplice tells the true story of the Dutch ship the Batavia, in the seventeenth century and its shipwreck off the coast of Western Australia. The survivors are left stranded on a desert island and the events that unfold, when one of the survivors takes control are utterly horrific and breath-takingly shocking.

However Heyman tells us far more than just the survivors story and it is her comments on human nature and our capacity for evil that have haunted me. She gently leads us on a path which eventuates in the culmination of all that is evil and weak in humanity but points out on the way little choices we could have made which could have taken those survivors to a very different place in history. It left me with a feeling of empowerment, and the awareness that those 'little' choices we make really do matter.

This book is a must read. I haven't come across a book more thought-provoking and a story so beautifully and vividly told as this one, for a very long time.Brilliant!!