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A review by bianca89279
The Yield by Tara June Winch
5.0
As many have already stated, The Yield is quite an accomplished novel.
It managed to be literary yet very accessible, contemporary and historical, informative and emotional, polemical but also philosophical. It also introduced the reader to the Wiradjuri language, one of the many Indigenous languages and dialects in Australia - many of which had disappeared. I am ashamed to say that I don't know any words in the language of the native people in my area - the Noongar people. None of my Aussie born friends and acquaintances know any words either, unfortunately, many of them wouldn't even learn it had they had the opportunity - but that's another topic ...
The novel unfolds via three different characters: August Gondiwindi, who returns from England to Masacre Plains for her grandfather's funeral - Poppy Gondiwindi, whose point of view introduces us to another period in history. The third narrative is via letters written in 1915 by a German reverend, who established an Aboriginal mission in Massacre Plains. Through his letters, we bear witness to the atrocities committed by the whites, whose intense hatred and extreme cruelties made the reverend doubt his faith in God.
Poppy Gondiwindi, an elder in the community, was working to preserve the Wiradjuri language and to find artefacts that would stop that mining development in Massacre Plains that threatened their home and farm. His story is strewn with pain and suffering but also resilience and hope.
The Yield shows us the effects of intergenerational trauma, dispossession, abuse, and language loss. Self-determinism is empowering. Having your own language is essential.
This is a complex novel that can be analysed for hours. I'm going to recommend it to lots of people.
Congratulations to Tara June Winch on receiving so many awards and the well-deserved recognition for her hard work and talent.
It managed to be literary yet very accessible, contemporary and historical, informative and emotional, polemical but also philosophical. It also introduced the reader to the Wiradjuri language, one of the many Indigenous languages and dialects in Australia - many of which had disappeared. I am ashamed to say that I don't know any words in the language of the native people in my area - the Noongar people. None of my Aussie born friends and acquaintances know any words either, unfortunately, many of them wouldn't even learn it had they had the opportunity - but that's another topic ...
The novel unfolds via three different characters: August Gondiwindi, who returns from England to Masacre Plains for her grandfather's funeral - Poppy Gondiwindi, whose point of view introduces us to another period in history. The third narrative is via letters written in 1915 by a German reverend, who established an Aboriginal mission in Massacre Plains. Through his letters, we bear witness to the atrocities committed by the whites, whose intense hatred and extreme cruelties made the reverend doubt his faith in God.
Poppy Gondiwindi, an elder in the community, was working to preserve the Wiradjuri language and to find artefacts that would stop that mining development in Massacre Plains that threatened their home and farm. His story is strewn with pain and suffering but also resilience and hope.
The Yield shows us the effects of intergenerational trauma, dispossession, abuse, and language loss. Self-determinism is empowering. Having your own language is essential.
This is a complex novel that can be analysed for hours. I'm going to recommend it to lots of people.
Congratulations to Tara June Winch on receiving so many awards and the well-deserved recognition for her hard work and talent.