A review by abbie_
The Yield by Tara June Winch

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-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? Yes
I know shockingly little about Indigenous Australians, and while this is fiction you can of course learn a lot from fiction. It also provides a good jumping-off point for learning more, and Winch provides a reading list in the author’s note which I was frantically scribbling down!
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The Yield is split into three narrative strands, one of which is the Wiradjuri dictionary compiled by Albert ‘Poppy’ Gondiwindi, the grandfather of another main narrator, August. It was such a unique and clever way of telling a story, and being able to hear the Wiradjuri words out loud was wonderful. I also read that Winch is donating some of the profits of this book to Indigenous language classes in Australia. Sadly Australia’s Indigenous languages are among some of the most at risk in the world of disappearing.
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Honestly this book takes on so much, from colonialism and intent versus impact to big corps stealing land for profit and child abuse. Winch handles it all deftly and sensitively.
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Like with The Mountains Sing, another brilliant audiobook, I really want to reread this one in print too. I feel like there’s so much more to uncover and unpack on a second reading in a different format.
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