Wanting

This is a very good story Wanting by Richard Flanagan, though a bit depressing. Set in 19th century in Tasmania and in England, two stories with a small connection. Lady Franklin, the wife of Tasmanian Governor Sir John Franklin, takes in a beautiful little Aboriginal girl, Mathinna. Lady Franklin denies herself the pleasure of loving her (she has no children of her own) and eventually returns to England leaving Mathinna behind. The other story set years later has Charles Dickens writing a play to counter the accusation Sir John Franklin's crew resorted to cannibalism after their ship was stuck in ice in the Arctic, and before they died. Dickens plays a character in the play and falls in love with an actress, though tries to hide it. The author says the book is "a meditation on desire" and its potency in human affairs. Recommended. 4/5