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A review by cantfindmybookmark
The Swan Book by Alexis Wright
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Alexis Wrightโs ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฆ๐๐ฎ๐ป ๐๐ผ๐ผ๐ธ, is a devastating, politically and ecologically engaged, novel of climate change in a future where humans have pushed mother earth to her breaking point.
โ๐๐ค๐ฉ๐๐๐ง ๐๐๐ฉ๐ช๐ง๐? ๐๐๐!โฆ๐๐๐ค๐ฅ๐ก๐ ๐ค๐ฃ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐ง๐ค๐๐ ๐๐๐ก๐ก๐๐ ๐๐๐ง ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐๐ค๐ฉ๐๐๐ง ๐พ๐๐ฉ๐๐จ๐ฉ๐ง๐ค๐ฅ๐๐ ๐ค๐ ๐๐ก๐ค๐ค๐, ๐๐๐ง๐, ๐๐ง๐ค๐ช๐๐๐ฉ ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ก๐๐ฏ๐ฏ๐๐ง๐. ๐๐๐๐จ๐ ๐ฌ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐๐ค๐ช๐ง ๐จ๐๐๐จ๐ค๐ฃ๐จ, ๐ฌ๐๐๐๐ ๐จ๐๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ง๐๐ฌ ๐๐ง๐ค๐ช๐ฃ๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐ฌ๐ค๐ง๐ก๐ ๐ฌ๐๐๐ฃ๐๐ซ๐๐ง ๐จ๐๐ ๐ก๐๐ ๐๐.โ
Wrightโs third novel begins in her ancestral country, the grass plains of the Gulf of Carpentaria, Australia. Its heartbreaking but also teaming with humor and political satire. It is literal but at the same time metaphoric. It is grounded in reality but also steeped in folklore and myth.
โ๐๐ฅ๐จ๐ฉ๐๐๐ง๐จ ๐๐ฃ ๐ข๐ฎ ๐๐ง๐๐๐ฃ, ๐ฉ๐๐๐ง๐ ๐ก๐๐ซ๐๐จ ๐ฉ๐๐๐จ ๐ ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ค๐ ๐๐ช๐ฉ ๐จ๐ฃ๐๐ ๐ ๐ซ๐๐ง๐ช๐จ ๐๐ฃ ๐๐ฉ๐จ ๐๐ค๐ก๐กโ๐จ ๐๐ค๐ช๐จ๐. ๐๐๐ฉ๐ฉ๐ก๐ ๐จ๐ฉ๐๐ง๐จ ๐จ๐๐๐ฃ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ค๐ซ๐๐ง ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐ข๐ค๐ค๐ฃ๐จ๐๐๐ฅ๐ ๐๐๐ง๐๐๐ฃ ๐ฉ๐ฌ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ก๐ ๐๐ฃ๐๐ก๐๐จ๐จ๐ก๐ฎ ๐๐ฃ ๐ ๐๐ง๐๐จ๐ฅ ๐จ๐ ๐ฎ. ๐๐๐ ๐๐ง๐๐ฏ๐ฎ ๐ซ๐๐ง๐ช๐จ ๐๐ช๐จ๐ฉ ๐จ๐๐ฉ๐จ ๐ฉ๐๐๐ง๐ ๐ค๐ฃ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐๐ค๐ช๐๐ ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ฅ๐จ ๐ ๐๐ค๐ค๐ ๐ค๐ก๐ ๐ฆ๐ช๐ ๐ซ๐๐ซ๐ ๐ค๐ช๐ฉ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐ฌ๐๐ฃ๐๐ค๐ฌ ๐๐ค๐ง ๐๐ฃ๐ฉ๐ง๐ช๐๐๐ง๐จ.โ
This virus, this โ๐ฃ๐ค๐จ๐ฉ๐๐ก๐๐๐ ๐๐ค๐ง ๐๐ค๐ง๐๐๐๐ฃ ๐ฉ๐๐๐ฃ๐๐จโ is at the heart of the novel. Itโs a love story about an indigenous girl, her love for the northern skies, and her journey to control own (indigenous) mind and by extension her(indigenous) land. Itโs a novel about imagination and the ability of human stories to propagate across space and time.
Oblivion Ethyl(ene) (aka Oblivia), a mute, indigenous, teenage girl, is the central character of this novel. After a group of local young men high on gas fumes gang raped Oblivia, she fled to a hollowed tree. There she is discovered by an old, white woman named Bella Donna who is herself a climate refugee from the north.
โ๐๐ค๐ฉ๐๐๐ง ๐๐๐ฉ๐ช๐ง๐? ๐๐๐!โฆ๐๐๐ค๐ฅ๐ก๐ ๐ค๐ฃ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐ง๐ค๐๐ ๐๐๐ก๐ก๐๐ ๐๐๐ง ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐๐ค๐ฉ๐๐๐ง ๐พ๐๐ฉ๐๐จ๐ฉ๐ง๐ค๐ฅ๐๐ ๐ค๐ ๐๐ก๐ค๐ค๐, ๐๐๐ง๐, ๐๐ง๐ค๐ช๐๐๐ฉ ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ก๐๐ฏ๐ฏ๐๐ง๐. ๐๐๐๐จ๐ ๐ฌ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐๐ค๐ช๐ง ๐จ๐๐๐จ๐ค๐ฃ๐จ, ๐ฌ๐๐๐๐ ๐จ๐๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ง๐๐ฌ ๐๐ง๐ค๐ช๐ฃ๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐ฌ๐ค๐ง๐ก๐ ๐ฌ๐๐๐ฃ๐๐ซ๐๐ง ๐จ๐๐ ๐ก๐๐ ๐๐.โ
Wrightโs third novel begins in her ancestral country, the grass plains of the Gulf of Carpentaria, Australia. Its heartbreaking but also teaming with humor and political satire. It is literal but at the same time metaphoric. It is grounded in reality but also steeped in folklore and myth.
โ๐๐ฅ๐จ๐ฉ๐๐๐ง๐จ ๐๐ฃ ๐ข๐ฎ ๐๐ง๐๐๐ฃ, ๐ฉ๐๐๐ง๐ ๐ก๐๐ซ๐๐จ ๐ฉ๐๐๐จ ๐ ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ค๐ ๐๐ช๐ฉ ๐จ๐ฃ๐๐ ๐ ๐ซ๐๐ง๐ช๐จ ๐๐ฃ ๐๐ฉ๐จ ๐๐ค๐ก๐กโ๐จ ๐๐ค๐ช๐จ๐. ๐๐๐ฉ๐ฉ๐ก๐ ๐จ๐ฉ๐๐ง๐จ ๐จ๐๐๐ฃ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ค๐ซ๐๐ง ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐ข๐ค๐ค๐ฃ๐จ๐๐๐ฅ๐ ๐๐๐ง๐๐๐ฃ ๐ฉ๐ฌ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ก๐ ๐๐ฃ๐๐ก๐๐จ๐จ๐ก๐ฎ ๐๐ฃ ๐ ๐๐ง๐๐จ๐ฅ ๐จ๐ ๐ฎ. ๐๐๐ ๐๐ง๐๐ฏ๐ฎ ๐ซ๐๐ง๐ช๐จ ๐๐ช๐จ๐ฉ ๐จ๐๐ฉ๐จ ๐ฉ๐๐๐ง๐ ๐ค๐ฃ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐๐ค๐ช๐๐ ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ฅ๐จ ๐ ๐๐ค๐ค๐ ๐ค๐ก๐ ๐ฆ๐ช๐ ๐ซ๐๐ซ๐ ๐ค๐ช๐ฉ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐ฌ๐๐ฃ๐๐ค๐ฌ ๐๐ค๐ง ๐๐ฃ๐ฉ๐ง๐ช๐๐๐ง๐จ.โ
This virus, this โ๐ฃ๐ค๐จ๐ฉ๐๐ก๐๐๐ ๐๐ค๐ง ๐๐ค๐ง๐๐๐๐ฃ ๐ฉ๐๐๐ฃ๐๐จโ is at the heart of the novel. Itโs a love story about an indigenous girl, her love for the northern skies, and her journey to control own (indigenous) mind and by extension her(indigenous) land. Itโs a novel about imagination and the ability of human stories to propagate across space and time.
Oblivion Ethyl(ene) (aka Oblivia), a mute, indigenous, teenage girl, is the central character of this novel. After a group of local young men high on gas fumes gang raped Oblivia, she fled to a hollowed tree. There she is discovered by an old, white woman named Bella Donna who is herself a climate refugee from the north.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape and Racism