English Passengers
by Matthew Kneale
Narrated by Ron Keith, Simon Prebble, Gerard Doyle, Gianfranco Negroponte, Patrick Tull, Jenny Sterlin, Davina Porter
Why Listen?
A full-cast audiobook that weaves four wildly different perspectives across continents and decades, with each narrator perfectly capturing their character's voice and delusion. The result is messier, more human, and far more rewarding than any single narrator could deliver.
About This Audiobook
Victorian-era smugglers from the Isle of Man find themselves reluctantly transporting a peculiar pair of English passengers to Tasmania in this sprawling historical novel set in 1857. When rum runner Captain Kewley loses his contraband to customs officials, he must charter his vessel to two eccentric Englishmen: a clergyman convinced that the Garden of Eden lies in Tasmania, and his companion, a doctor harboring disturbing theories about human races. Their journey intersects with the story of Peevay, an Aboriginal Tasmanian whose narrative spans decades of violent colonial oppression and cultural destruction. As these disparate voices converge, Kneale weaves together themes of religious fanaticism, scientific racism, and the devastating impact of European colonization on indigenous peoples.
The ensemble of seven accomplished narrators transforms this complex, multi-perspective novel into a rich audio tapestry. Each performer brings distinct vocal characterization to their assigned voices, from the Manx smugglers' rough dialects to Peevay's haunting Aboriginal perspective. The varied accents and speech patterns help listeners navigate the novel's intricate structure while maintaining the authenticity of each character's cultural background. The extended runtime allows the story's epic scope to unfold naturally, giving weight to both intimate character moments and sweeping historical events that resonate long after the final chapter.