The Boy from the Mish by Gary Lonesborough

One of the joys of this book is its representation of life in such an environment complete with the wave of holiday makers. However, I cannot think of any that combine aboriginality and a location pretty unfamiliar to most other Australians – a town built on or around what were known in the past as aboriginal missions or reserves – hence the title.Īt the same time, there is a blending of familiarity for most readers who have experienced a country town on a river that flows into the ocean. There have been numbers of books presenting the difficulties of teens wrestling with their sexuality. Themes: Identity, Sexuality, LGBQTI+, Aboriginal community, Racism.I don’t think that there can be much debate over whether this is a genuine YA book nor that adults can learn a lot from a reading. But I think any reader could not fail to be moved by this story.

You can hear him discuss the genesis of the novel in a Booktopia podcast and his hope that it will offer comfort and reassurance for some young readers. Lonesborough has said that he wanted to write a book that didn’t exist for him when he was young – a YA story featuring an Aboriginal LGBQTI+ character. There are plenty of tough issues brought up in the novel: racism, bullying, homophobia, victimisation by police, and alcohol abuse, but the strengths of the Aboriginal community, the family, camaraderie of friends, and the care and spiritual guidance offered by elders shines through it all.īut most moving of all is the love story – there are moments that will bring tears to your eyes. Jackson and Tomas are thrown together, when Pam's family comes to stay over Christmas, but the wariness slowly gives way to a tentative friendship and collaboration on Tomas's writing project, and then the beginnings of a deeper relationship.

(Age: 15+) Highly recommended.īeautifully written, this is a gentle romantic story about Jackson, a young Aboriginal boy gradually coming to terms with his sexuality and his attraction to the new guy just out from juvenile detention, taken under the wing of his Aunty Pam. The boy from the Mish by Gary Lonesborough Allen & Unwin, 2021.

The Boy from the Mish by Gary Lonesborough