The Wind Queen

The Wind Queen is a story told from the perspective of a woman by the name of Elspeth Abney. Elspeth is moving in and out of the final phase of her life. The book is set in the high plains and ranges of the Snowy Mountains in New South Wales, Australia. Dying, Elspeth looks back into many various aspects of her life; including living with her family and working on a Sheep and Cattle Station; Seymour Homestead, for a couple by the name of Brian and Augustina Clarence. After which, she moves into a secluded isolated hut to live life with her son Mannus. The boy was conceived in the gully with a man by the name of Cain Kennedy. Elspeth’s fluctuating sexuality is strewn through the text and is the reason why she never marries. Simply, Elspeth cannot commit to one person; however, she openly enjoys many sexual encounters. Elspeth immerses herself in the natural beauty of the Australian outback and is always accompanied by a Swallowtail butterfly. Elspeth is a dignified woman of intelligence. 

The Wind Queen, is a beautifying pictorial display of nature; highlighting the magnificence of living in the scrub of outback Australia. Also, the story highlights modern themes such as; sexuality, divorce, addictions, societal disparity and power relations within relationships. Other important social impacts like poverty, suicide, mental illness, infantile death and the effects of stalking are similarly inclusive in the book.