5/8/2023 0 Comments One hand clapping publisher![]() What was most disappointing about Richard Flanagan’s story? If this book wasn’t for you, who do you think might enjoy it more? ![]() Despite much bleakness, this is also a story of agency and resilience, of overcoming violence and abuse, and of building the future. ![]() From one generation to the next, prior identity is attenuated and new identities formed. The stories and tragedies from their European homelands structure their challenging lives in Tasmania. The novel enlightens us about the post-World War II European settlement in Australia: people who helped build its infrastructure while suffering systematic racism, exploitation and poverty. It's a story also of resilience - a young woman exercises her agency to escape and take control of her own life, despite all the adversity and deep family bonds. The violence is predictable and seemingly inevitable, anticipated by the reader in the same way that Sylvia, the daughter, awaits her drunken father's repeated physical abuse. Against the backdrop of racism, alcohol and violence, we learn of the stories experienced by these migrants, prior to their departure from Europe, and of how the violence recurs to dominate family members in Tasmania. Migration, racism, identity & violence in Tasmaniaīeautifully written and narrated - the story of a Slovenian unskilled worker, migrating to Tasmania in search of a better future.
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