I really enjoyed how this book was an honest look at a young man coming to terms with who he is in a community he loves, but fears may not love this part of him. Years of oppression and pain are background to his coming out. Jackson is gay, but he is also Aboriginal and trying to maintain (even regain) a connection to his Mob and ancestral roots. He fears these two parts of himself must be at war, but may not. Maybe the Mish has a tendency to reject 'other,' because they have been told they must in order to survive under colonial rule. And, maybe, accepting Jackson would be another way to break away from the oppressive past. Community is about caring for all those who live within it. Jackson and Tomas have a quiet kind of love. They grow together, they have deep conversations about themselves, family, culture. They help each other to see the best in themselves and to want to do and be better. Jackson accepted Tomas without question, when Tomas had no one blindly give him friendship before. The two have a deep bond. Although, often times Tomas defers to Jackson's knowledge and opinions, possibly at the expense of his own. Another important character in this book is the Mish and the land around it. The author is so descriptive that you can imagine yourself journeying with Jackson, as he ditches his shoes, and travels footpaths, through rivers, into the ocean, into caves. It is a beautiful landscape that Jackson walks and treasures. While the parties bring him closer to his cousin and friends, the land brings him closer to understanding himself. Truly, this was such a tender novel that is a love story between two young men, but also between a young man and his Aboriginal community.
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