Sacha De Bazin

A fascinating novel based on the life of the infamous baby farmer Minnie Dean, the only woman in New Zealand history ever to be hanged. Accused of infanticide and awaiting trial and then sentence, Minnie confides in Reverend Lindsay. Alternating between these two contrasting personalities, the novel tells Minnie's version of events. From her oppressive upbringing in Victorian Scotland to adulthood in Southland, Minnie battles her own nature and the hardships of colonial life and social hypocrisy. Once Minnie is tried, she has to face her impending execution, while Reverend Lindsay, who has become her unlikely ally, fights to prevent her paying the ultimate price for society's sins.