Reviews

I went into this book knowing nothing about it. It was a book club pick, and the blurb gives very little away. But I went into it assuming to hear a version of Australian history from the indigenous perspective, and was incredibly excited about that as it's an area I haven't read any about beyond [b:Rabbit-Proof Fence: The True Story of One of the Greatest Escapes of All Time|150723|Rabbit-Proof Fence The True Story of One of the Greatest Escapes of All Time|Doris Pilkington|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1348752254l/150723._SY75_.jpg|145471].

And to begin with, this book was giving me exactly that - indigenous people being colonised, and all the injustice that the self-righteous entitlement of colonisers brings. Harrowing and frustrating to read, but very important. I loved the writing style and the sense of chase as we followed escaped Native Jacky and the Settler enforcement that try to hunt him down.

Then the twist happened, which I will not spoil, and though I don't think I expected it, I also didn't really get it. At first, I thought I was reading a parallel timeline. As things became clearer, the book lost me quite a bit. I still read and finished the book, and I enjoyed it for the most part. But I think I'd have enjoyed it so much more if it had kept on with the original narrative.

I think, for me, the turn-off was that whilst I could see what the author was doing...I just don't think she needed to. Anyone picking up this book is likely to already have compassion for the historical plight of the Natives, and the on-going subjugation of indigenous peoples in Australia and in other countries. I don't think the story needed to be told in another context, and if anything doing so took the focus away from the actual, real story which needs that voice and attention. For me, as interesting as the twist is, it actually ruined what would have been, for me, a great book.

viksquires's review against another edition

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dark tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

lucia5678's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

1.0

I hated this book, it was so boring and i would never have ever picked this out to read, but i had to for school. the sentances are long and wordy which make it difficult to read. Also i hate reading about Aboriginal stuff because we do it so fucking much at school its annoying i get the point my ansestors were bad to them and i wont be the same now shut up.

gigireadswithkiki's review

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challenging dark mysterious reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Although the story begins by being pretty heavy handed with its critiques on colonization, as the plot progresses and the science fiction elements begin to reveal themselves, its clear that this story is not what it appears to be. A eerie disquiet permeates the story, creating an aura of suspense that seeps into the characters and setting of the book, all the way until its unsettling, open-ended conclusion. The multiple POVs, switching within the chapters, served to add further mystery to how the current landscape became divided between Natives and Settlers, showing perspectives from both sides of the invasion, drawing from real historical examples from the colonization of the Australian Indigenous populations. I won't give too much away, but the sci-fi worldbuilding in the story was quite original and immensely intriguing, drawing on the likes of H. G. Well's "War of the Worlds" and adding its own spin.

In conjunction with a compelling storyline and interesting worldbuilding, one of my favorite parts is the end, where author Claire G. Coleman inserts an author's note and Q&A that gives readers insights & further reading on the subjugation of the Aboriginal Australian peoples, prominently highlighting that the colonizing powers didn't move to make slavery illegal until the 1960s. This book has definitely piqued my interest to learn more about the struggles of the Indigenous population in Australia and I'll be adding some of those books to my reading list for sure!

The only small criticism I have is how none of the characters really have any substantiative character development, the story reading more like a slice-of-life than a sci-fi adventure that is usually associated with the genre. However! I fully acknowledge that this is most likely due to Western sci-fi stories being more saturated in the media, and that this form of storytelling, though unexpected on my part, was still enjoyable.

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