The Colour, a novel by Rose Tremain, tells an epic story against the backdrop of great events and a stunning landscape. James and Harriet Blackstone have left Norfolk, England, to make a new life in the South island of New Zealand. They have built a somewhat makeshift house called the Cob and are prepared to eke out a subsistence from the mixed though meagre blessings that the land and climate can offer. Their marriage might not be loveless, but often both have to search very deep indeed to find something that might approach their individually desired contentment. There is a history we learn, especially on Joseph’s side, a history in Norfolk which may have prompted the decision to leave.
While her husband is hard-working, he is rather secretive by nature. Harriet, on the other hand, is patient, diligent and long-suffering. She is also innovative, strong and honest. She relates to her mother-in-law, Lillian, who has accompanied them to their new lives, and to her neighbours, whose little son becomes especially important in her own childless life. Joseph’s mother, meanwhile, will clearly never settle in these unfamiliar surroundings and there are tensions to overcome.
When news of gold in the region stimulates a rush, Joseph stakes a claim, hides his interests in the same way that he hides his emotions, and tries to make his fortune. Eventually his independence, his insistence on self-reliance, becomes his downfall. His life amongst the other prospectors and the suppliers of services that are attracted to their needs is beautifully described.
Harriet, however, is eventually more resourceful. She takes it upon herself to trace a Maori girl whose input to a little boy’s life could prove crucial. Her search takes her across cultures as well as across the landscape and, eventually, she discovers things of her own, things that endure.
The Colour is a beautiful book that does not, however, achieve the total success it promises. Somehow, its whole is rather less than the sum of its parts. The tale and its characters are all beautifully drawn, but the historical perspective, the feel for landscape and the crossing of culture all fall a little short. These are minor criticisms, however, of a thoroughly enjoyable read.
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