Scan barcode
A review by nicoleisalwaysreading
The Swan Book by Alexis Wright
4.0
When I just began this book I read a review here that said “This is one of those books that teaches you how to read them, and I am a slow learner.” I am so glad I stumbled across that perfectly-said line, because the slow way this one unfolds and the rhythm it takes is very special, even if its form is challenging.
This book is unlike anything I have read before: it’s a legend, an epic, a ghost story, a call home, a love letter to the possibility of a nation, and a ironic critique to nationalism. Maybe most of all, it’s a warning to be careful with one another. This is the first book I have ever read with an Aboriginal protagonist (or any Aboriginal characters at all, I’m ashamed to say), and what a brilliant glimpse into a multi-faceted existence.
This book is unlike anything I have read before: it’s a legend, an epic, a ghost story, a call home, a love letter to the possibility of a nation, and a ironic critique to nationalism. Maybe most of all, it’s a warning to be careful with one another. This is the first book I have ever read with an Aboriginal protagonist (or any Aboriginal characters at all, I’m ashamed to say), and what a brilliant glimpse into a multi-faceted existence.