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A review by angelajuniper
Foreign Soil by Maxine Beneba Clarke
4.0
Racial issues are embedded in Australian culture. Current generations have grown up hearing stories of refugees, studying the events behind National Sorry Day, and watching footage of crowded boats desperate for asylum.
Maxine Beneba Clarke, an Australian writer of Afro-Caribbean heritage, has used Foreign Soil to confront different forms of cultural separation. From a Sudanese woman’s first attempt at riding a bicycle, to an ex Sri Lankan soldier held in detention, her short stories are character driven and explode from the page with dense emotional rhythm.
In the opening piece, ‘David’, a bike is used to symbolise freedom, showcasing Clarke’s talent with the poetic. The titular piece shows a young couple who, by shifting from one country to another, cause us to question how well we ever know those we love. And the story, ‘Shu Yi’, shows a schoolyard where the pain of being an outsider can turn desperation into cruelty, and underlines juvenile racism at its source.
Undoubtedly, the most harrowing is the story of Asanka, an asylum seeker held in detention at Villawood. Through his eyes, ‘The Stilt Fisherman of Kathaluwa’ exposes the realities of life as an underage soldier. His boat journey to Australia and days in detention are this collections ultimate wrench point, and I challenge anyone to read it and not feel something in their chest crack.
The collection is evidence of Clarke’s ability with slam-poetry and the spoken word. At times, I personally found the dialect jarring, even laborious, especially as I waded through the Jamaican-set ‘Big Islan’. The attempt to reproduce accents, although effective, diverted my attention away from the stories and made it harder to connect.
But this didn’t detract from the books intense power. Foreign Soil speaks of displacement and longing. It’s for anyone who has felt different, who has born witness to a punishment undeserving. It shines a light on the spaces, and fore-fronts the divide, between us and them.
Highly recommended.
Follow me on the blog! ----> https://ponderdeeper.wordpress.com/
Maxine Beneba Clarke, an Australian writer of Afro-Caribbean heritage, has used Foreign Soil to confront different forms of cultural separation. From a Sudanese woman’s first attempt at riding a bicycle, to an ex Sri Lankan soldier held in detention, her short stories are character driven and explode from the page with dense emotional rhythm.
In the opening piece, ‘David’, a bike is used to symbolise freedom, showcasing Clarke’s talent with the poetic. The titular piece shows a young couple who, by shifting from one country to another, cause us to question how well we ever know those we love. And the story, ‘Shu Yi’, shows a schoolyard where the pain of being an outsider can turn desperation into cruelty, and underlines juvenile racism at its source.
Undoubtedly, the most harrowing is the story of Asanka, an asylum seeker held in detention at Villawood. Through his eyes, ‘The Stilt Fisherman of Kathaluwa’ exposes the realities of life as an underage soldier. His boat journey to Australia and days in detention are this collections ultimate wrench point, and I challenge anyone to read it and not feel something in their chest crack.
The collection is evidence of Clarke’s ability with slam-poetry and the spoken word. At times, I personally found the dialect jarring, even laborious, especially as I waded through the Jamaican-set ‘Big Islan’. The attempt to reproduce accents, although effective, diverted my attention away from the stories and made it harder to connect.
But this didn’t detract from the books intense power. Foreign Soil speaks of displacement and longing. It’s for anyone who has felt different, who has born witness to a punishment undeserving. It shines a light on the spaces, and fore-fronts the divide, between us and them.
Highly recommended.
Follow me on the blog! ----> https://ponderdeeper.wordpress.com/