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The Sound
Wiremu Heke of Aramoana joins a sealing boat on a voyage from Tasmania to Western Australia. He is on a quest to avenge the destruction of his village but soon finds himself a part of the violent and lawless world that has claimed the lives of those he’s known. It’s a world inhabited by men from many nations. Men who plunder seal colonies and steal women and children from the indigenous communities who live on the islands and shorelines of Australia’s south.
228 pages, Paperback
Published July 1, 2016
4 people are currently reading
150 people want to read
About the author
Sarah Drummond
3 books15 followersSarah Drummond lives on the south coast of Western Australia. Salt Story, a memoir of her time spent commercial fishing, is her first book. Sarah's second book, The Sound, is a novel based on the true story of the sealers and Aboriginal women who sailed from Bass Strait to King George Sound in the 1820s. Sarah has had essays and short fiction published in Shadow Plays: an anthology of speculative fiction, Short Stories Australia, indigo journal, the Best Australian Essays 2010, LINQ Journal, Kurungabaa Journal and Overland.
Books available from Fremantle Press
Books available from Fremantle Press
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
August 26, 2016
Brutal, tragic and confronting, this is not a tale for the faint of heart - but it's an important one. The horrors, struggles and cruelty of colonial Australia, although uncomfortable, should never be dismissed. This book does a painfully good job of helping us remember.
Anyone who is familiar with King George Sound will find it difficult to reconcile this beautiful location with the barbaric acts that this novel describes. A second exceptional book by an author whose compassion and tenderness shine through even the most horrific of tales.
Anyone who is familiar with King George Sound will find it difficult to reconcile this beautiful location with the barbaric acts that this novel describes. A second exceptional book by an author whose compassion and tenderness shine through even the most horrific of tales.
August 25, 2016
I nearly stopped reading this book several times because the subject matter was so unpleasant, but I'm glad I saw it through to the end.
This is an incredible book. The prose is stunning, with luscious and evocative descriptions of the Western Australian coast and the sealing life. It's obvious that a lot of meticulous research went into the crafting of this novel, and the author has (it seems to me) approached the task with great care and sensitivity.
The subject matter is difficult, but this is an important story about our colonial history, and one that deserves to be remembered.
This is an incredible book. The prose is stunning, with luscious and evocative descriptions of the Western Australian coast and the sealing life. It's obvious that a lot of meticulous research went into the crafting of this novel, and the author has (it seems to me) approached the task with great care and sensitivity.
The subject matter is difficult, but this is an important story about our colonial history, and one that deserves to be remembered.
September 3, 2020
A beautifully written, unflinching account of sealing off Western Australia's coast.
Reading this was like driving past an accident and being unable to look away.
Brilliant writing. Highly recommended.
Reading this was like driving past an accident and being unable to look away.
Brilliant writing. Highly recommended.
January 10, 2017
We often hear stories of the first explorers, the convicts and then the pioneer settlers, but this in-between lawless time is not so widely reported. It's an incredibly bleak, hard life for those free men hunting seals along the Southern oceans of what we now call Western Australia. Laws do not apply; it's a dog eat dog, take what you want existence, often half starved, abandoned in wild dangerous places, always with an eye out for the dangers and opportunities around. They take indigenous women and children for their own use. The brutality of some of these men is just horrific and the way they trade and abuse these women is confronting. The author writes with a deep knowledge of this country, the oceans and the wildlife; you can taste the salt air! She has obviously researched this topic and although it's difficult to read about it, it is a great story to add to our knowledge of Australian history.
October 10, 2016
This is part of Australia's history that isn't taught in schools, well it wasn't while I was at school. The story is shockingly violent at times. These violent passages are described in rather a blunt, concise style that is over quickly, but always managed to catch me unawares and made me grimace. Notwithstanding the violence, I enjoyed reading of our early, sea trading history. The 1820s was a time of plundering, dishonesty and every man for himself. The story isn't always pretty, but I can well image that it is an accurate retelling. Set in and around the waters off Tasmania and Western Australia where life was tough and death was either a constant fear or a constant companion.
January 27, 2018
This book is riveting and impossible to put down. While it can at times seem brutal, it depicts Australian history truthfully, without sugar coating the horrifying reality of it.
While the style of writing is not one I generally enjoy, it works well with the story and I don’t think this book would have as good an impact written any differently.
Even for someone who isn’t all that fond of historical novels, the story pulls you in and once you get past the first page, you’re in it for the long haul.
Well worth the read. I highly recommend.
This story touches on so many truths that need to be shared, heard and realised.
While the style of writing is not one I generally enjoy, it works well with the story and I don’t think this book would have as good an impact written any differently.
Even for someone who isn’t all that fond of historical novels, the story pulls you in and once you get past the first page, you’re in it for the long haul.
Well worth the read. I highly recommend.
This story touches on so many truths that need to be shared, heard and realised.
July 24, 2016
I don't know quite what to say. This book just astounded me. The writing is raw and powerful. The story is raw and powerful. Living in Albany and viewing King George Sound every day really made this personal and gave me an emotional punch in the guts. It is quite confronting in some cases and I had to force myself to finish it. The writing was SO good though I couldn't put it down. Congratulations Sarah Drummond - you took me on quite a wild ride!
May 23, 2018
Imagine Queequeg from Moby Dick had his early life written into a story, this would be that story. While Drummond doesn't quite have Melville's masterly writing or grand ambitions she does have similar techniques in turning kernels of real stories into blooming fictional narratives. What's missing is the undermining relentless drive of Ahab or the White Whale. Billhook's turn from his original quest for revenge while sweet creates a bit of a bathetic ending. This is coupled with his early complicity in many heinous crimes that undermines a lot of the mana he supposedly has.
This book is rich with information from the horrific early period of colonisation in Australia. There's no hand holding just grim and gruesome realities. Many would not know that frontier of Australia was explored not by the British navy but by a motley crew of whalers and sealers many of whom were ex-convicts and none of whom had any scruples. Many of the first interactions with the indigenous people of the land were conducted on the British side by some of the most vile and repulsive people you could imagine. They saw Aboriginal women as their god-given property and they raped and pillaged their way around Australia. In many ways the collapse of the seal and whale trade was a small respite for the fledgling country but by then so much damage had already been done.
It might be worth reading the source material in the back of the book to give yourself a little bit of context before you dive in. Then it might also be worth quickly looking at Maori culture and the Tasmanian genocide. For those of you who can't be bothered reading up on the Tasmanian Genocide, Drummond in her source material makes a point of highlighting that HG Wells came up with his War of The Worlds when discussing the Tasmanian invasion and subsequent genocide by the English with his brother Frank. This is not to mention the atrocities committed in NZ.
Australia was chosen as the penal colony over New Zealand primarily because the British believed the Maori to be more aggressive and warrior like than the Aborigines and thus harder to deal with.
Drummond's use of Maori culture, myth and language would be very confusing for someone unfamiliar with these. In fact probably the weak point of Drummond's novel is not explaining or expanding on some of those things. They way she deals with Aboriginal storytelling and dreaming is perfect but it doesn't work as well for the Maori culture.
This is a narrative that needs to be told and read by Australians and Kiwis and even the British.
This book is rich with information from the horrific early period of colonisation in Australia. There's no hand holding just grim and gruesome realities. Many would not know that frontier of Australia was explored not by the British navy but by a motley crew of whalers and sealers many of whom were ex-convicts and none of whom had any scruples. Many of the first interactions with the indigenous people of the land were conducted on the British side by some of the most vile and repulsive people you could imagine. They saw Aboriginal women as their god-given property and they raped and pillaged their way around Australia. In many ways the collapse of the seal and whale trade was a small respite for the fledgling country but by then so much damage had already been done.
It might be worth reading the source material in the back of the book to give yourself a little bit of context before you dive in. Then it might also be worth quickly looking at Maori culture and the Tasmanian genocide. For those of you who can't be bothered reading up on the Tasmanian Genocide, Drummond in her source material makes a point of highlighting that HG Wells came up with his War of The Worlds when discussing the Tasmanian invasion and subsequent genocide by the English with his brother Frank. This is not to mention the atrocities committed in NZ.
Australia was chosen as the penal colony over New Zealand primarily because the British believed the Maori to be more aggressive and warrior like than the Aborigines and thus harder to deal with.
Drummond's use of Maori culture, myth and language would be very confusing for someone unfamiliar with these. In fact probably the weak point of Drummond's novel is not explaining or expanding on some of those things. They way she deals with Aboriginal storytelling and dreaming is perfect but it doesn't work as well for the Maori culture.
This is a narrative that needs to be told and read by Australians and Kiwis and even the British.
August 17, 2020
Set in the 1800's across Aotearoa, Van Diemen's Land, and Western Australia, this story follows young man Wiremu Heke who, after a clash of tribes, travels across the seas in the company of a crew of sealers. The group make their way from the South Island to Western Australia, island-hopping along the way, while hunting seal and muttonbird, stealing native women, killing indigenous tribesmen, and generally acting on their every base impulse until they meet up with their fleet - or is it too late and has the fleet already gone...!? Good descriptive writing and a nice sense of place (you can smell the seal fat rendering!), but brutal too so not for the faint-hearted.
February 26, 2018
Already posted a review. It was a barbaric but true depiction of life as a seal hunter, the racism faced by the indigenous people and the sexist abuse of women of all classes and races in our early settlement of Tasmania. An informative read
August 6, 2020
This is a confronting novel based on a true story of sealers along the south coast during the early days of British settlement in Australia. It tells of the hardships of life and of the cruelty and abuse of local indigenous people.
April 7, 2019
2.5
What a frigging downer :/
What a frigging downer :/
January 8, 2023
An interesting read - glad I picked it up!
December 30, 2025
An account of seal hunters in the 1800s in West Australia, with one kind hearted man trying to do good while surrounded by brutes.
December 11, 2017
I had to read this for an Australian Literature unit, it is not something I would have picked up otherwise. The writing is extremely raw, there is no sugar coating on the awful things that happen in this book. I don't think I could have gotten through this if we did not have the strong character of Billhook. I loved learning about his culture. I was very happy with the ending, it was lovely to have something happy happen. I know these things happened but I am still disgusted with the violence, rape, use of women and abuse to animals that happened in this book. It is awful that Australian history has its roots here.
June 20, 2022
TW: Colonialism, slavery, violence, SA, child abuse, animal cruelty.
Even the memory of Sarah Drummond’s “The Sound” is enough to send goosebumps all over your body. Far from a tale for the light-hearted, this is a chilling depiction of an often overlooked facet of Australia’s colonial history.
Wiremu Heke embarks on a sealing boat, seeking vengeance for his village, but discovers a world of violence and brutality that threatens to corrupt his gentle soul. Drummond’s characters are so palpable and raw, it’s like falling into another person. Feeling their heartbeat when it races, seeing the madness in their fellow man’s eyes.
Such an engrossing writing style makes for a deeply uncomfortable read, as Wiremu navigates treacherous conditions and even more treacherous men, while also making it impossible to put down. Murder, theft, skirmishes. A moral dilemma that forces Wiremu to decide just how much of himself he is willing to sacrifice for the sake of his village.
Drummond depicts the serenity of the coastal landscape at the same time that she destroys it with greed, bloodlust and inhumanity. While this is not an Own Voices account of colonialism, it deftly encapsulates the horrors of the time.
“The Sound” is personal. It’s challenging. It churns your stomach and demands that you not look away. Striking up an intoxicating balance of beauty and brutality, this is a must-read that will never let you go.
Even the memory of Sarah Drummond’s “The Sound” is enough to send goosebumps all over your body. Far from a tale for the light-hearted, this is a chilling depiction of an often overlooked facet of Australia’s colonial history.
Wiremu Heke embarks on a sealing boat, seeking vengeance for his village, but discovers a world of violence and brutality that threatens to corrupt his gentle soul. Drummond’s characters are so palpable and raw, it’s like falling into another person. Feeling their heartbeat when it races, seeing the madness in their fellow man’s eyes.
Such an engrossing writing style makes for a deeply uncomfortable read, as Wiremu navigates treacherous conditions and even more treacherous men, while also making it impossible to put down. Murder, theft, skirmishes. A moral dilemma that forces Wiremu to decide just how much of himself he is willing to sacrifice for the sake of his village.
Drummond depicts the serenity of the coastal landscape at the same time that she destroys it with greed, bloodlust and inhumanity. While this is not an Own Voices account of colonialism, it deftly encapsulates the horrors of the time.
“The Sound” is personal. It’s challenging. It churns your stomach and demands that you not look away. Striking up an intoxicating balance of beauty and brutality, this is a must-read that will never let you go.
October 10, 2016
I have really enjoyed reading The Sound.
It was a rough and tough time in history and it was difficult to read about how men treated women, but it was a reality.
It was a rough and tough time in history and it was difficult to read about how men treated women, but it was a reality.
abandoned
November 26, 2017This novel has received very favourable reviews in the Australian press (see http://www.theaustralian.com.au/arts/...) so I don't feel too guilty about abandoning it.
I liked Sarah Drummond's previous book Salt Story, but after reading up to page 53 I decided to let this one go. It's a revenge story, a young man's quest for vengeance in the colonial era when there was no justice for indigenous people like him, and so from the beginning I knew there was violence ahead. But there was also ruthlessness in the way the men trade in the Indigenous women of Van Diemen's Land and its offshore islands, and there is brutality in the way that their rape is so commonplace as not to be worthy of comment. There were also vivid descriptions of sealing which are unpleasant to read.
This is obviously historically accurate, but it doesn't make me want to read about it.
I haven't rated it because I don't rate books I haven't finished.
I liked Sarah Drummond's previous book Salt Story, but after reading up to page 53 I decided to let this one go. It's a revenge story, a young man's quest for vengeance in the colonial era when there was no justice for indigenous people like him, and so from the beginning I knew there was violence ahead. But there was also ruthlessness in the way the men trade in the Indigenous women of Van Diemen's Land and its offshore islands, and there is brutality in the way that their rape is so commonplace as not to be worthy of comment. There were also vivid descriptions of sealing which are unpleasant to read.
This is obviously historically accurate, but it doesn't make me want to read about it.
I haven't rated it because I don't rate books I haven't finished.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews