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Thorny nests

by
May 2013, no. 351

Mullumbimby by Melissa Lucashenko

University of Queensland Press $29.95, 285 pp

Thorny nests

by
May 2013, no. 351

Mullumbimby is a humorous, heartfelt, occasionally abrasive and brave work by a writer with an acute ear for language, an eye for subtle beauty, and a nose honed to sniff bullshit at a thousand paces. A sculptural work, produced by the author and photographed for the cover of the novel, is a bird’s nest, crafted from twigs, various grasses, and earth. It conveys a sense of sanctuary and genuine protection (as opposed to the institutional and violent ‘protection’ Indigenous people have been subject to throughout colonial occupation). But look a little closer at the image and you will notice that the nest is woven into a thorny crown of rusting barbed wire; a simple but effective invention that for the past one hundred and fifty years has maimed, ensnared, and enclosed animals, people, and land. 

Tony Birch reviews 'Mullumbimby' by Melissa Lucashenko

Mullumbimby

by Melissa Lucashenko

University of Queensland Press $29.95, 285 pp

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