Finnegan The Novel

The Story

A floating forest of breadfruit trees sails in a westerly direction across the world’s oceans and enters the Caribbean Sea. Captain Bligh is master of the ship — his first breadfruit mission had been thwarted by mutiny and this time he is determined to succeed. He has permitted a mysterious stowaway from Tahiti leave to remain on board to keep the plantlings alive. But who is this stowaway, and why is his obituary published in Jamaica’s Royal Gazette within months of his arrival?

In Jamaica, Quashie and his grandfather, Finnegan, travel through the interior to spread the word about breadfruit to settlements of former slaves who must find new ways to survive. Along the way, Finnegan starts to tell his grandson the story of his friend Pa’ao, the Tahitian who was on board Bligh’s vessel.

Michael Morrissey’s imaginative exploration of one man’s journey is, at the same time, a voyage into the whirling worlds of eighteenth-century Tahiti and nineteenth-century Jamaica, filling in gaps of official narratives. It is a story of love and resistance with, at the heart of it all, an obsession of the colonial era: the breadfruit.

Click here for the timeline
Read a couple of scenes in the novel

Settings

Illustrators of the era provide us with a visual record of the islands that Finnegan referred to.

TAHITI

Typical 18th-century Tahitian residence. The illustration entitled ‘A Dance in Otaheite’ was by John Webber, the official artist on James Cook’s third voyage of discovery around the Pacific (1776–1880) aboard HMS Resolution.

TIMOR

Timor in 1792 was a possession of the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands (commonly referred to as the Dutch Republic). This federated state existed from 1581 to 1795 and was the predecessor of the Netherlands.

ST HELENA

Views of the Jamestown harbour, St Helena, as HMS Providence approached in 1792. Above dated 1794, below is dated 1800

ST VINCENT

Plan of the island of St. Vincent from an actual survey made in the year 1773 after the Treaty with the Caribs. The north and east of the island is marked Carib Lands. Created by Thomas Jefferys and published 1776.

JAMAICA

The Free Settlement of Sligoville was established in the late 1830s and sketched by JamesPhillippo in 1840. He published this in Jamaica: its past and present state in 1843.

BAY OF HONDURAS

The Kalinago were forcibly removed from St Vincent to the Roatan Islands off the Honduras coast. Chart of the Mosquito Shore: with the islands, keys, rocks, and shoals, adjacent to (or between) it and Jamaica. Published 1781.

Journeys

Maps show routes followed in the novel Finnegan journeys, some historical and others fictional. Central in the novel is the voyage of HMS Providence from Tahiti to Jamaica. Most journeys are superimposed on contemporaneous maps of the events referred to. Click to view

The circumnavigation of Tahiti. | The circumnavigation of Tahiti by Lieutenant James Cook and Joseph Banks was facilitated by Tahitian chiefs and guides in June 1769. The route followed is superimposed on Cook’s map of Tahiti, drafted after this journey. This journey is referred to in Chapter 6 of the novel Finnegan

The voyage of HMS Providence from Tahiti to Jamaica | The map reconstructs the route of HMS Providence (along with HMS Assistant) from Tahiti to Jamaica from mid-1792 to early 1793, carrying breadfruit and other plants on board. is reconstructed based on Captain William Bligh’s logs. This relates to Chapter 12 of the novel Finnegan.

St Vincent, January 1793 | HMS Providence anchored off Kingstown St Vincent in January 1793 and delivered 331 breadfruit plants. The route of HMS Providence is superimposed on a map commissioned by the British Governor in 1776, showing the eastern half of the island under Kalinagu control. The visit to St Vincent is the subject of Chapter 13 of the novel Finnegan.

HMS Providence voyage from Port Royal to Port Morant, February 1793 | Pa’ao arrived at Port Royal and Port Morant in February 1793, together with 346 breadfruit plants transported from Tahiti. Captions added to A New Map of Jamaica compiled by Patrick Browne in 1755. This is the subject of Chapter 17 of the novel Finnegan.

Forced migration of Kalinagu peoples from St. Vincent in 1795 | The British governor of St. Vincent order exile of surviving Kalinagu to Rotuen in 1795. The route taken by the British navy, via Port Royal, Jamaica, is superimposed on the British Admiralty’s map of the West Indies published in 1785. This is referred to in Chapter 15 of the novel Finnegan.

Finnegan’s journey to Accompong in western Jamaica in 1837 | The journey was through the parishes of western Jamaica to the Maroon town of Accompong. This is part of a map of Jamaica in Atlas de toutes les parties connues du globe terrestre, published 1779 by Monsieur Rigobert Bonne, Royal Hydrographer of the King of France. This is referred to in Chapter 5 of the novel Finnegan.

Finnegan’s journey across the parish of St. Ann in July and August 1838 | The route followed by Finnegan and Quashie across St. Ann is superimposed on part of the Map of Jamaica prepared for the Jamaica Handbook 1895. This relates to Chapters 8 and 11 of the novel Finnegan. This is referred to in Chapter 15 of the novel Finnegan.

The story told by Finnegan of the voyage of the breadfruit from Tahiti to the Caribbean region, particularly to Jamaica, fills in historical accuracy with a compelling narrative of how this played out in human experience.
Lyrically told, the story traces human hardships and suffering as well as the satisfaction and triumphs of the enslaved people in colonial times 200 years ago. Their stories, their relationships, the role of the trees, and the food that sustained them, all come to life, to reality. The reader is pulled into the backwoods of Jamaica’s mountains. The story will appeal to all readers, especially those who’ve enjoyed historical fiction by Kenneth Roberts, C. S. Forester, and Hilary Mantel. A winning first novel. We look forward to more.

Mary McLaughlin

Trees That Feed Foundation

Tahitians are warriors, not afraid of death. If we fight well, we will be rewarded in rohotu no anoa, the equivalent of the Garden of Eden. As a Tahitian, I was captivated by the author’s recounting of Tahitian resistance in the novel.

Anonymous Tahitian Reviewer

The cast of characters represents such great scope and breadth in this conceptual history narrative. This is a book that could only have been crafted so beautifully from the author’s unique perspective. This novel works exceptionally well for me.
I love this contribution to the argument for reparation in an indirect but sensitive and thoughtful way. Just the acknowledgment of simple concepts like the compensating of the enslavers but not the enslaved means something in 2022 that it would not have meant even in 2019! I thank you for that. Again I must say this feels like a timely and relevant piece of history. At the centre of this story is an author with a great capacity for understanding cultures and a compassion for the peoples within these diverse realities over a wide span of time. Again I say, only you could write this story as an English man, who made homes in both Jamaica and Indonesia This novel is such a wealth of information, presented in such an interesting story. I am glad to be here as witness to such an important fictionalized piece of history, told from this unique perspective. It works exceptionally well for me.
I also like how the author treats with the language and how he code switches. Not forcing either standard English or patois but filling the mouth of each speaker with appropriate and authentic voice. As such the author’s voice is distinctive and present without being an intrusion.
I also love how you give all these references and endnotes in the novel. It is not typically done, as the author reserves that information for himself/herself but I believe your readers will appreciate it as much as I do.

Michael Holgate

Caribbean Cultural and Reparatory Justice activist

Michael Morrissey’s imaginative exploration of one man’s journey is at the same time a voyage into the whirling worlds of eighteenth-century Tahiti and nineteenth-century Jamaica, filling in the gaps of an official narrative that leaves many questions unanswered. It is a story of love and resistance with, at the heart of it all, a botanical obsession of the colonial era: the breadfruit. The story of Pa’ao the Tahitian is narrated by Finnegan to his grandson, Quashie, at a time when they are witnesses to dramatic changes all around them, as the Apprenticeship system in Jamaica is ended and the formerly enslaved begin to create new settlements, while navigating persistent tensions and injustices.

Jan Russell

Publisher

Breadfruit stories need to be told. The rich history of breadfruit before and after The Bounty makes for a great read, and Quashie’s story is the perfect vehicle. Morrissey tells a unique story that will transport readers through time and around the world . . . and may introduce many to this valuable fruit.

Judy Osgood

Social Studies educator, United States

An intriguing, highly original novel. This is a worthy debut, a work of fiction based on a great deal of detailed research, which is driven by the author’s lived experience. Finnegan re-imagines a great colonial project, and in so doing, examines the great themes of our day: racism, greed, power and resistance. Invest in this journey and it will change your perspectives. Full of hope and an affirmation of life!

Paul Morrissey

Geographer, Editor, Brother