As I researched Mathinna’s story, I found the following resources especially valuable: The Last of the Tasmanians: Or, The Black War of Van Diemen’s Land (1870), by James Bonwick; Dr. Alexander’s biography of Jane Franklin (mentioned above); Wanting, a novel by Richard Flanagan; Tunnerminnerwait and Maulboyheenner: The Involvement of Aboriginal People from Tasmania in Key Events of Early Melbourne, by Clare Land; “Tasmanian Gothic: The Art of Tasmania’s Forgotten War,” by Gregory Lehman; “Extermination, Extinction, Genocide: British Colonialism and Tasmanian Aborigines,” by Shayne Breen; “In Black and White,” by Jared Diamond; and “From Terror to Genocide: Britain’s Tasmanian Penal Colony and Australia’s History Wars,” by Benjamin Madley. I was inspired by excerpts from the Bangarra Dance Theatre’s performance of “Mathinna,” choreographed by Stephen Page.

I am grateful to Dr. Gregory Lehman, Pro Vice-Chancellor of Aboriginal Leadership at the University of Tasmania and a descendant of the Trawlwulwuy people of northeast Tasmania, for critiquing the sections about Mathinna and the history of the Tasmanian Aboriginal people.

I strove to be historically accurate as much as possible, but ultimately The Exiles is a work of fiction. For example, while Mathinna’s family history is factual, her real-life counterpart was five years old, not eight, when the Franklins brought her to Hobart Town. The question of whether free settlers dropped handkerchiefs at the feet of the convict women is disputed; I chose to include it. The novel was fact-checked by Dr. Alexander, Dr. Lehman, and others; the few changes I made to the historical record were done consciously and in service to the story.

Today, about 20 percent of Australians—a total of nearly five million people—are descended from transported British convicts. But only recently have many Australians begun embracing their convict heritage and coming to terms with the legacy of colonization. I was lucky to research this book when I did; a number of historic sites and museum exhibits are new. Though descendants of convicts now make up three quarters of Tasmania’s white population, when I first visited the island several years ago the convict museum at the Cascades Female Factory was only three years old. The permanent exhibitions showcasing Aboriginal history, art, and culture at the Tasmanian Museum & Art Gallery had opened two weeks earlier. In addition to these places, I visited Runnymede, a National Trust site preserved as an 1840s whaling captain’s house, in New Town, Tasmania; the Hobart Convict Penitentiary; the Richmond Gaol Historic Site; the Maritime Museum of Tasmania; and convict sites and museums in Sydney and Melbourne.

I am lucky to have an editor, Katherine Nintzel, who is willing to read and critique multiple drafts and engage every nuance, no matter how slight. With this novel she was like a personal trainer for my brain, motivating me to dig deeper and work harder than I ever have before; I can’t overstate how grateful I am for her wisdom and patience. Thanks also to the rest of my team at William Morrow/HarperCollins for their unstinting support: Brian Murray, Liate Stehlik, Frank Albanese, Jennifer Hart, Brittani Hilles, Kelly Rudolph, Kaitlin Harri, Amelia Wood, Molly Gendell, and Stephanie Vallejo. To Mumtaz Mustafa for the stunning cover. To Lisa Sharkey for sage advice. Eric Simonoff at WME, Geri Thoma at Writers House, and Julie Barer at The Book Group have been trusted advisors.