We chat with Petronella McGovern about her book The Last Trace.
Meet Petronella McGovern, the bestselling author of Six Minutes, The Good Teacher and The Liars. With nominations in the Ned Kelly Awards, the Davitt Awards, and the Australian Independent Bookseller Awards, her work is celebrated for its exploration of human complexities. Raised on a farm in central west New South Wales and now residing in Sydney, Petronella’s work is enriched by her diverse experiences, including adventures in America and eastern Africa.
Join us as we find out more about the inspiration behind her latest novel The Last Trace.
A&U: What was the main inspiration behind The Last Trace?
PM: The Last Trace is about family, memory, responsibility and the links that connect us all. The inspiration came from a few different places. During lockdown, my mum wrote a biography about my grandmother, and it made me think about the connections between extended family, past and present. My grandmothers both came from large families and I’m the second youngest of five children, so I’ve always been fascinated by birth order and the relationships between siblings, parents and extended family. Before lockdown, Mum had lived with us for a period because of a health issue and so I was also thinking about how family dynamics change in caring for an elderly parent.
A&U: In The Last Trace, Lachy is working in regions affected by climate change and he becomes depressed about the future. Why was it important for him to work in water security?
PM: I grew up on a farm in central west New South Wales during a drought, and we were always saving water, re-using it and thinking about its scarcity. When I started writing this book, the Horn of Africa was suffering its worst drought in recorded history, while on the east coast of Australia, we were experiencing torrential rain. With bushfires, the pandemic and extreme flooding happening in quick succession, I felt overwhelmed in the face of climate change. I was interested to explore how a character working in the field would respond to the issues and so I created Lachy, who is both optimistic and pessimistic.
A&U: The other strand of this story is the secrets that DNA can unveil. Have you done a DNA test yourself?
PM: I’m fascinated by what DNA can tell us – both in a biological family context and in criminal investigations. In terms of forensics, there are many cold cases in America where evidence from old crime scenes has been analysed now and matched with DNA, leading to a prosecution or a resolution. I was nervous about giving up my DNA for a test, but I finally decided to do it. Then months and months went by with no response, so I assumed my DNA was lost in the mail and I was kind of relieved. Suddenly an email arrived with the results. Thankfully there were no surprises, although I did receive unexpected messages from relatives on my father’s side. My grandmother was the youngest of eleven children and she’d moved from England to Australia, so we’d lost touch with many of those relatives. It was lovely to make new connections.
You can follow Petronella on Facebook: @PetronellaMcGovern; Instagram: @petronella_mc_author or on her website: www.petronellamcgovern.com.au
The Last Trace
by Petronella McGovern
What if you're scared you committed a crime but can't remember? From the bestselling author of Six Minutes and The Liars comes an unputdownable thriller about the secrets we keep from each other - and ourselves.
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