Beyond the Black Stump
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| Author | Nevil Shute |
|---|---|
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Thriller novel |
| Publisher | William Heinemann Ltd |
| Released | 1956 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| ISBN | NA |
- This article refers to Beyond the Black Stump the novel. For Beyond the Black Stump the comic strip, see Beyond the Black Stump (comic strip)
Beyond the Black Stump is a novel by British author Nevil Shute. It was first published in the UK by William Heinemann Ltd in 1956.
[edit] Plot summary
The story concerns a young American geologist, Stanton Laird, working in the Australian outback in the field of oil exploration. Although he is in a very remote location - beyond the black stump - he is part of a crew that has a well appointed mobile facility.
He is befriended by a local farming family, the Regans, and develops a relationship with their daughter Mollie. Over the course of the explorations (which prove unsuccessful), he notes the unique lifestyle on what amounts to the Australian frontier, and falls in love with Mollie. The two wish to wed, but Mollie's mother insists that Mollie first see how the Lairds live in their Oregon town, Hazel, which was once on the frontier, but is no longer.
The two travel to Hazel. At first, Mollie gets along well in the Laird family home. But then Stanton's one-time love, Ruth, the widow of Stanton's best friend, returns to Hazel with her son. The son bears a tremendous resemblance to Stanton, and Stanton is moved to confess to Mollie both that the son may be his, and that he killed a girl in a drunken accident as a teenager. Mollie is unconcerned about the boy--such things are common where she comes from--but is concerned and judgmental about the accident. As this is the opposite of what Stanton expected, the two begin to realize they have a very different outlook on life.
Eventually, Mollie comes to realize that she will never fit in in Hazel, and does not particularly want to. She returns to Australia, where she will likely marry a young neighbor, and emigrant from England. Stanton is likely to marry Ruth. Stanton has a wedding present for Mollie, though--his final report reveals that the neighbor's impoverished lands lie over great quantities of artesian water, which will allow the neighbor--and Mollie--to flourish.
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