This is a fantastic blend of historical fiction with scifi, unlike anything I've read before.

Through the wrecking of a steamship and the survival of the ship steward, George, who is obsessed by the mysterious woman who saved him, Jane Rawson presents an alien experience and consciousness. I was gripped by the female alien's life in the sea, her isolation and her homesickness. Rawson enables the reader to wonder at our insignificance, the depth of our ignorance and how other beings may be and feel.

I'll admit I was drawn in by the cover of this one - I love an octopus. This is a fascinating, literary, compelling book and I'll be thinking about it for a long time.

I was unable to read & review this book. The first few pages had the sentences repeated underneath each other. Once I got through the first 6 pages or so of this by reading every other sentence I thought it had improved. However the text seemed very garbled and it appeared that chunks of text from different parts of the book were interdispersed within the narrative making it impossible read.

This was an interesting read in as much as I don't usually read science fiction as a preferred genre. However I had heard such good things about this book that I wanted to give it a try to see if I could jump on the bandwagon too. We begin our tale in 1859 when the steamship Admella begins to sink in the middle of the Southern Ocean on it's way to Australia. Only two people survive the shipwreck, out central character George Hills and Bridget, the woman who wrapped herself around him whilst waiting to be rescued. However when the crew turn up, George is the only living soul about.

As the years go by, George cannot stop thinking about this woman; she is always at the back of his mind and when his first child Henry is born, that tie becomes stronger. Henry is not like other boys, and bares a birthmark on his back, one that if you asked him, he would say can change shape and needs feeding regularly. George is not aware of this but this creature is Henry's closest, most intimate friend.

When George gets a letter from a woman who claims to be Bridget, he is immediately drawn to meeting up with her and getting her to release her hold on him, but is she the woman that she claims to be and will removing her grip on the man she saved from the ocean have deeper consequences?

George Hills is in fact Jane Rawson's great-great-grandfather and the Admella really did sink on August 6th 1859. However as to whether a creature from the deep were on the boat that day none of us will ever actually know!

This book was a pure pleasure to read, interesting and a real page turner. The writing is excellent and you don’t want to put the book down, it’s a real ‘just one more chapter’ book. A fictionalisation of a true story it’s part fantasy part adventure part history and all entertaining

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

This book has won many literary awards, and rightly so.
Beautifully rich and captivating it was a joy to read and I don't think I have read anything like it before. I loved the long time span the book follows as well as the time it was set. it is clear to see the author did plenty of research.
The icing on the cake for me was discovering the authors own personal links to George; the main character.
The personal touch definitely shone through.

This is a mysterious and atmospheric story of survival, and I really enjoyed reading this. History is blended with science fiction in a beautiful way. I don't think I have read anything similar before- genre-wise.
Very atmospheric, beautiful story and I would definitely read from Rawson again.

What starts as an historical fiction novel about a man shipwrecked aboard a steamship soon warps into a strange science fiction tale, as he discovers that the only other survivor is a being not quite like himself.

This is partially based on a true story about Rawson’s own relative, as we find George adrift in the sea with the ethereal Bridget. We follow George’s initial shock during the aftermath of the shipwreck, his fight to live and his subsequent rescue. His time with Bridget, although brief, transforms his life as he struggles to cope with daily life following the disaster. The amount of research within the book is apparent, and great care has been given to show George in a very positive light. He’s human, fragile, and simplistic in his own way. In after the trauma he experiences, he continues to suffer and is haunted by what occurred, wondering if he’s at fault. Bridget, by comparison is deeply mysterious. Intelligent, warm, and desperate to show George what it is to live. The chapters that explored Bridget’s inner mind were particularly fascinating, and funny, to see her try and understand George, comfort him, and show him what it is to survive. They bounce off each other well.

The writing is really well done, very atmospheric, with detailed descriptions of the ocean and sea life that instantly made me think of life at sea. I could almost taste the sale on the wind, and felt immediately in tune with George and his plight. It feels magical, and mystical, and brings to mind the mysteries of the oceans depths which are yet to be explored. I’ve not read anything that invokes such an atmosphere for a long time.

Unique writing, that’s filled atmospheric prose to enrich the reader’s experience of historical fiction with an ethereal twist.

The premise of this book was really compelling, and the first chapter was immediately gripping. Yet there was something wrong with my download and after the opening pages, the file got all garbled. I struggled along for several pages before finally giving up. It's a pity, as the novel seemed really interesting and I will certainly look out for this book (in which case I'll return and review my rating).

I wasn't sure what to expect when it came to multiple award-winning novel From the Wreck as right from the outset it felt unlike anything I had ever read before, but at the beginning, I wasn't entirely sure whether that was going to be a good or bad thing. Luckily, it turned out to be an unusual and very enjoyable story. This is one of the best fact meets fiction books I've picked up in recent years and cleverly raises the profile of a terrible tragedy that has sadly been long forgotten.

SS Admella was an Australian passenger steamship that was shipwrecked on a submerged reef off the coast of Carpenter Rocks in the early hours of Saturday 6 August 1859. Survivors clung to the wreck for over a week and many people took days to die as they glimpsed the land from the sea and watched as one rescue attempt after another failed. I must admit I hadn't heard of this incident which took place when Australia was a part of the British Empire and is described as one of the worst maritime disasters in modern Aussie history. It's a harrowing turn of events and had me completely engrossed after a few short chapters.

Main character George is one of the survivors who clings to life enduring the wrath of the sea in the hope of making it out alive, which, given the situation seems a little too optimistic. That is until a strange alien being in female form keeps him safe until he can be rescued. This is a haunting lyrical piece and is both evocative and profoundly moving. Discovering at the end that George was a real survivor of the catastrophe and that he was Ms Rawson's great-great-grandfather was touching; it's clear that an extensive amount of research went into producing this wonderful, one-of-a-kind part history, part supernatural story. A well deserved five stars. Many thanks to Picador for an ARC.

This is a fantastic, fictionalised story about a survivor of the steamship Admella that was wrecked off the coast of South Australia in 1859. While clinging to the wreckage of the ship George encounters a strange, other-worldly woman who keeps him safe until help finally arrives. Back on dry land George is tormented by memories of his time on the wreck and of the strange woman who has seemingly disappeared into thin air.

Part historical fiction and part sci-fi fantasy, this story sounds a little ridiculous in the synopsis but it is a beautiful, touching read about loneliness and the universe. Weird, wonderful and very, very original.

My thanks to Pan Macmillan/Picador for an eARC via NetGalley of Jane Rawson’s ‘From the Wreck’ in exchange for an honest review.

I was initially drawn to this novel by its fab octopus themed cover and intrigued by the premise of blending history with science fiction.

On 6 August 1859 the steamship Admella is wrecked on a reef off the South Australian coast. For over a week bad weather and other factors prevent rescue. Among the few survivors is cabin boy George Hills. He considers that the woman who held onto him and kept him warm throughout their ordeal is the only reason that he is alive. However, she swiftly disappears after the rescue.

George eventually marries and fathers children but remains obsessed with the question of why he survived and the identity of the mysterious woman. He is convinced that something else came out of the ocean that day. Something that has remained close to him ever since.

The historical aspect is based on a real life 19th Century maritime disaster while its SF aspect conveys a powerful sense of otherworldliness. I felt that this novel was so beautifully written with some sections hauntingly lyrical. I adored it. Certainly one of my favourites for the year.

I was amazed to learn in the ‘A Note On History’ at the end of the novel that not only was George Hills a real survivor of the Admella but that he was Jane Rawson’s great-great-grandfather.

That a good deal of historical research went into this novel is quite obvious though Rawson does include the disclaimer that “From the Wreck is entirely made up and bears no relationship at all to reality.” However, I expect that I am not alone in wishing that her alien was real.

‘From the Wreck’ was originally published in 2017 in Melbourne, Australia and won the Aurealis Award for Best Science Fiction Novel as well as being shortlisted and longlisted for other literary prizes.

Highly recommended and an unreserved five stars.

This is for me an unusual book. I don't think I've read anything quite like it before. George Hills is wrecked on the steamship Admella where he was a steward. He was one of very few who survived. The person who he survived with - female - disappeared shortly after they were rescued. Interesting anyway and more so as so far it is the story of an ancestor of the author. Then the story gets rather different!

The book follows George's life and that of his family. It also features the persona who vanished and appears again from time to time. What was it that George came across after the wreck and what are the consequences for him and his family?

I thought that the writing here was excellent. Evocative and mysterious it created a great atmosphere for this intriguing tale. It manages to be warm at times and quite chilling at others. There really is an other worldly feel to this sometimes. The characters are well worked and felt real to me.

This is not a long book and I think better for that. One of those cases where less really is more. There is room for the reader to think about this tale in the broadest way. It is quite a hard book to review without giving things away. I would prefer the reader to follow their own journey through this tale. For myself I thoroughly enjoyed reading it - it certainly deserves to won an award as a Sci Fi novel in my opinion.