A review by prisjo
Eucalyptus by Murray Bail

This was a wonderfully strange book. Dealing with detailed classification of eucalyptus trees, the book lays out questions of landscapes and identities produced via landscapes and nationalism. I found myself looking forward to reading about eucalyptus trees and how they transformed multiple cities across the world; in fact, I enjoyed reading about the trees more than I did about the humans in the book. Added to the botanical detailing is the fairy tale-esque elements that Bail weaves into the narrative, which makes it a good testament to the power of story telling. Read it for the trees!