Jerningham
Cristina Sanders
The Cuba Press
Pub. 2020

May 13, 2022

Never before had I dreamed of the history of our capital city; oh how that was a mistake! Calling fans of scandal, history, and colonial politics, Jerningham by Cristina Sanders takes you on a journey to the crossroads of our country – as Britannia tries to make its home amongst Māori – characters emerge themselves in scandal spicing up the formation of the colony.

Arthur Lugg finds himself on the other side of the world at an outpost, starting a new life in the latest colony of the New Zealand Company – the Wakefield’s big, ambitious venture to bring affordable upper-class living to the masses.

He finds himself brought into the inner circle, meeting the young, quirky Jerningham Wakefield, the nephew of Colonel William Wakefield who’s in charge of developing the little England. Throughout the story, Lugg is given the opportunity to witness the man renegading from his official duties. At one point, he describes Jerningham: “He sat like Jesus at the Last Supper, candles from above him lending a halo effect to his shaggy hair, his hands out in a gesture of generosity, surrounded by his disciples.”

For a book about history, it is important for the author to provide a vast array of detail. Indeed, she packs the storyline with little details that help you understand what the people did and how they did it. From life on the boat, to social life, meeting local tribes, and exploring the unknowns of the faraway bush, Sanders gives you a clear picture of how society operated. Writing from the perspective of a loyal upper-class citizen was a very safe bet. The interest comes from controversial topics like distaste for authority, a disrespect to the “Natives” and the common man’s cocky know-it-all ignorance – all of which we saw, albeit maybe not as much as I might have liked. Still, for a glimpse into time, the test is if I learn a lot, and indeed I did.

The book’s storyline for me did fall a little flat. As the narrative finds itself centered around the life of Lugg, the average everyday settler, there are fewer moments of  ‘I can’t put this down’. Clearly, the storyline of Jerningham is more interesting, as this is the character that ties the events of Lugg’s life together. Jerningham was for the most part respected by Māori. Perhaps, the author could’ve used a character like a Māori chief learning colonial lifestyle and interacting with Jerningham to exhibit the interesting and quirky life that was his. His nickname, Tiraweke, shown on the cover, showed they had much to say about his presence.

Certainly my favourite part of the story is the scandal. I mean, who doesn’t love that now and again? Once again, Arthur was too high on the ‘goody two-shoes’ scale. Scandal comes from the mischiefs of the colony, and what better person to talk about more than Jerningham? I wish the title character could have taken a more active role. As the author developed Lugg’s character, it meant Jerningham’s was left to the sides, and this limited the excitement of the story for certainly the first half.

I think the author is promising because it was a decent first novel. She has chosen a good topic, created interest, but just fallen away with the characters. The novel does mention Jerningham’s personal account: Adventures in New Zealand – no doubt what much of the book was based on. After reading Jerningham it has interested me in the story of his tales from his perspective, so I’ll check out this historic book.

I will also read the author’s other books: Displaced was published in 2021 and Mrs Jewell & the Wreck of the General Grant will be published in a couple of months. Continuing on with historical fiction is a good call, as hopefully she has honed her storytelling skills to make an even better book this time. I watch with interest.

Jerningham is a book for enthusiasts in New Zealand’s history. Its reach might’ve been wider had it not for the issues I mentioned. Still, I commend the author for her work and continue my interest in her work. Learning about and from our history is an important part of living in a modern nation. The author’s addition to this dialogue is fun, unique, and relatable for Wellingtonians and all Kiwis.

Jerningham is a quality read, just not a classic for the ages.

• Liam is 16 and lives in Christchurch.