Reviews - The Great Undoing

77 reviews for:

The Great Undoing

Sharlene Allsopp

3.94 AVERAGE

mmmmmm's review

3.5

adventurous mysterious fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

this is a great concept and so fascinating, but it lost me a bit in some of the language and execution. also tbh scarlet friday just sounds like a spy or something and once i had that thought i couldn’t un-have it.

i think it is just a taste thing and i don’t doubt we’ll see this on award shortlists.

xanthea's review

adventurous challenging hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

nina_reads_books's review

5.0

Fellow book lovers can I please draw your attention to a recent release that needs to be on your TBR right now. The Great Undoing is the debut novel of Australian Indigenous author Sharlene Allsop and wow this is a seriously good book.

This is dystopian fiction with a decidedly Indigenous bent. The world is largely ruled by a digital surveillance system called Bloodtalk. When the system goes down the world can suddenly no longer function and the global borders are shutting down. Australian woman Scarlet Friday is a Truth-Teller and her job is to correct the historical record. When she is stuck in London as the world collapses she becomes an illegal refugee and alongside a friend with considerable means they flee to the safety of Australia. As she goes on the run she grabs a copy of Ernest Scott's Short History Of Australia and begins amending it as she goes. Correcting the record and recording her history.

Telling you anything more than this will spoil the impact of this work. The writing is brilliant. The chapters are short and punchy. The author uses footnotes and quotes from real Australian authors to excellent effect. The effects of colonisation and its impact on oral storytelling are woven through this book. Just who is allowed to tell stories is also a theme.

I loved how Allsop manages to weave truth telling, a historical record of Indigenous participation in World Wars, what it means to be a refugee, the unpacking of identity and a love story all into one book. Absolutely mesmerising.

Honestly you really need to read this book. If it doesn't make one of the Australian prize lists this year I'll be gobsmacked. Sharlene Allsop is an Australian author to watch.

Massive thanks to @ultimopress for my #gifted copy.

adelslibrary's review

5.0

challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

‘that’s all myths are—ugly stories prettied up by history writers to try to make ugly mean something. it’s my job to tell the truth about all that ugly.’

The Great Undoing is an absolutely phenomenal novel about history, identity, and what it means to uncover the truth. The writing is sublime and the story itself is so important and impactful. I suspected very much that this would be my first five star book of the year, and I was right ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Great Undoing is the record of Scarlet Friday, written as she finds her way back home during a crisis where all forms of communication have broken down in the not so distant and completely digital future, etched over a faded copy of Ernest Scott’s Short History of Australia. I think it’s best going into this without the full picture, but the discussion of colonisation, First Nations experiences, historiography, language and identity in a not-implausible world makes this essential reading for all of us in so called Australia.