Scan barcode
A review by caszriel
Tribal Lores by Archimede Fusillo
3.0
~I received a copy from Walker Books Australia and willingly reviewed it~
This is one of those books you have to sit down and think about, both during and after the read. There are a lot of layers to this book, as well as various themes that are explored in an interwoven way. Ultimately it’s a story of culture and belonging, set in a coming-of-age context. The main character, Francesco “Frankie” Rescio, takes us on a journey of his everyday life, a simple yet revealing premise that sets the stage for the showcasing of many issues.
The first major theme that comes up is culture. Frankie’s family are Italian immigrants, and they have a completely different set of customs from their born-and-bred Aussie neighbours the Marshes. The contrast is shown through their interactions and responses to big events, for example a wedding or funeral. The exploration of culture extends beyond the neighbours to Frankie’s friends, from Frankie’s lack of availability for nighttime excursions to the different family dynamics at play.
As the title suggests, Tribal Lores is also about tribes, the notion of extended family linked by culture as well as by blood. The main tribes are that of Frankie’s family, his neighbour Lochie’s family, and, to a lesser extent, his friend Andrew “China” Wang’s family. Each tribe has their own skeletons that are revealed in the book, and they deal with them in different ways. Family is also linked to identity, which is something we see Frankie struggling with; the labels of us versus them, Italian versus Australian. There’s a point at which someone—Lochie’s mum I think—says we’ve been here for twenty years, yet we are still not considered Australian and I really felt that.
My favourite thing about this book has to be the strong, convincing characterisation. Main characters aside, we’ve got an annoying little cousin who’s always breaking things and is never held accountable by adults due to her age, a shady family friend who’s always hanging around for more favours, and the friend who uses anger as a coping mechanism instead of confronting his problems. Archimede Fusillo’s characters are identifiable in our own lives, but that only adds to their brilliance; they’re universal yet unique. My personal favourite has to be Frankie’s cousin Gabby, who is first introduced as Frankie’s favourite cousin and completely lives up to that reputation because she’s always the coolest person in the room. I really liked the development of Frankie’s brother Stefano, and how Frankie’s perception of him shifts from annoying little brother to more of a friend and ally in the household. Similarly, the relationship between Lochie and Frankie deepens a lot as they share more secrets and it makes the ending that much sadder.
Speaking of the ending, I’m still numb? I’m not sure if I like where it went but at the same time it made sense considering it was the ultimate cataclysmic event that linked together everything in the book. Tribal Lores reminded me of Craig Silvey’s Jasper Jones, mainly due to the somewhat similar dynamic between Jasper and Charlie and between Frankie and Lochie. Both books also have scenes where one character knocks on the other’s window in the middle of the night, I might add. This book does a wonderful job of exploring the complexity of culture clashes and identity through day to day lives, character interaction and tragedy.
This is one of those books you have to sit down and think about, both during and after the read. There are a lot of layers to this book, as well as various themes that are explored in an interwoven way. Ultimately it’s a story of culture and belonging, set in a coming-of-age context. The main character, Francesco “Frankie” Rescio, takes us on a journey of his everyday life, a simple yet revealing premise that sets the stage for the showcasing of many issues.
The first major theme that comes up is culture. Frankie’s family are Italian immigrants, and they have a completely different set of customs from their born-and-bred Aussie neighbours the Marshes. The contrast is shown through their interactions and responses to big events, for example a wedding or funeral. The exploration of culture extends beyond the neighbours to Frankie’s friends, from Frankie’s lack of availability for nighttime excursions to the different family dynamics at play.
As the title suggests, Tribal Lores is also about tribes, the notion of extended family linked by culture as well as by blood. The main tribes are that of Frankie’s family, his neighbour Lochie’s family, and, to a lesser extent, his friend Andrew “China” Wang’s family. Each tribe has their own skeletons that are revealed in the book, and they deal with them in different ways. Family is also linked to identity, which is something we see Frankie struggling with; the labels of us versus them, Italian versus Australian. There’s a point at which someone—Lochie’s mum I think—says we’ve been here for twenty years, yet we are still not considered Australian and I really felt that.
My favourite thing about this book has to be the strong, convincing characterisation. Main characters aside, we’ve got an annoying little cousin who’s always breaking things and is never held accountable by adults due to her age, a shady family friend who’s always hanging around for more favours, and the friend who uses anger as a coping mechanism instead of confronting his problems. Archimede Fusillo’s characters are identifiable in our own lives, but that only adds to their brilliance; they’re universal yet unique. My personal favourite has to be Frankie’s cousin Gabby, who is first introduced as Frankie’s favourite cousin and completely lives up to that reputation because she’s always the coolest person in the room. I really liked the development of Frankie’s brother Stefano, and how Frankie’s perception of him shifts from annoying little brother to more of a friend and ally in the household. Similarly, the relationship between Lochie and Frankie deepens a lot as they share more secrets and it makes the ending that much sadder.
Speaking of the ending, I’m still numb? I’m not sure if I like where it went but at the same time it made sense considering it was the ultimate cataclysmic event that linked together everything in the book. Tribal Lores reminded me of Craig Silvey’s Jasper Jones, mainly due to the somewhat similar dynamic between Jasper and Charlie and between Frankie and Lochie. Both books also have scenes where one character knocks on the other’s window in the middle of the night, I might add. This book does a wonderful job of exploring the complexity of culture clashes and identity through day to day lives, character interaction and tragedy.