The Low Road

In 1828, two young women were torn apart as they were sentenced to transportation to Botany Bay. Will they ever meet again?
Norfolk, 1813. In the quiet Waveney Valley, the body of a woman – Mary Tyrell – is staked through the heart after her death by suicide. She had been under arrest for the suspected murder of her newborn child. Mary leaves behind a young daughter, Hannah, who is later sent away to the Refuge for the Destitute in London, where she will be trained for a life of domestic service.
It is at the Refuge that Hannah meets Annie Simpkins, a fellow resident, and together they forge a friendship that deepens into fiery love. But the strength of this bond is put to the test when the girls are caught stealing from the Refuge's laundry, which leads to them being sent to Botany Bay, setting them on separate paths that may never cross again.
Based on a true story, The Low Road is a gripping, atmospheric tale that brings to life the hidden working-class voices of the past, it is the untold origin story of Britain's female convicts. But it is also a survival story, and a moving evocation of love that blossomed in the face of prejudice and ill fortune. A bleak, brutal, yet tender tale.

Katharine Quarmby has written non-fiction, short stories and books for children. This is her first novel. She has worked as a senior editor at the Bureau of Investigative Journalism, Liberty Investigates and Disability Now, and as an associate editor for Newsweek and Prospect magazine. Katharine lives in London.