Faith, courage and reconsidering the ‘enemy’: two novels drawing on family history shed light on Australia’s marginalised past

Forced to deal with the prejudice of Tattle’s customers, Pearl nevertheless proves herself to be a valuable asset to the business and eventually becomes the first woman of colour to work behind the counter in a Figwood shop. But as she observes the daily rhythms of the camp and visits the wreckage of Hiroshima, she becomes more attuned to the local people – and wonders what they make of the Australian forces who now govern them. Other examples of uncomfortably antiquated phrasing include the way she thinks of a Japanese forest guide as “a tiny thing with a boyish face”, the framing of sex as “the work of the body”, and likening her pregnant belly to “a smelly old animal pouch”.

Author: Liz Evans, Adjunct Researcher, English and Writing, University of Tasmania

---