Borderland

Borderland is the kind of book I've very excited about, and I'd love to see many more of them. Graham Akhurst's debut YA novel is the story of Jono, a young First Nations man who is not connected to his Country or his tribe -- educated at a prestigious, mostly white, private school and now attending an Aboriginal performing arts college, Jono isn't sure where he belongs. Constantly swooped by magpies and haunted by a mysterious dog-headed figure from the darkness, Jono finds himself out in the desert and events begin to escalate.

Borderland is politically aware, spiritual, a little bit romantic, a family drama, and a coming of age story. As a fantasy writer, I was most interested in the skilful way that Akhurst has woven strands of authentic cultural material with imagined lore to create a gripping, multi-dimensional young adult story. It's described as gothic horror -- I'm not sure how accurate that label is, but there are certainly some very creepy moments!

Young Australian readers of every background need and deserve more novels like this, that help us all to understand the spiritual connection to Country and give us a deeper appreciation of First Nations experience.