I like a story that can transport me to another place and time in a way that leaves me feeling I know and understand that place. `Secrets From the Dust' has done just that. The author has managed to weave into his story the social and political climate of the 50s and 60s of Australia. I now have a greater understanding of the mindset of both the native Aboriginals and the immigrants who tried to make Australia home, in both the Outback and the cities.
Parallels are drawn between the two perspectives and then merge in a single character. Margaret is stolen as a young child from her family and re-homed with a white family.
She struggles continuously through what remains of her childhood, her teens and into young womanhood with the desire to find her kin and remember their ways, and her increasing acceptance of European beliefs and aspirations. Sadly, of course, this leaves her constantly confused as to who she is, where she fits in, what she believes in, and who she wants to be.
The book is well researched and successfully colours the Outback as harsh and unforgiving to the newcomers who try to control it, and bountiful and nourishing to those who have lived on and understood the land for centuries.
The story is well structured and flows fluidly between scenes. The formatting is also good.
The portrayal of Margaret and those around her's evolving emotions and outlooks is thorough and the characters are well developed and presented.
However, as a reader, whilst I was sympathetic to Margaret, and even Anne, her foster mother, and their lives, torments, hopes, disappointments and decisions, I felt I was viewing them as a distant observer. It may be that I did not feel drawn into their lives because of the shortage of engaging dialogue.
Yet that too could be because of the isolation each character felt in their environment and the enormous expanse of the Outback. It certainly lent to a perception of minimal contact between characters.
This book is worth reading for the fascinating insight into Aboriginal culture and customs, and the effect of white supremacy, arrogance and ignorance on their people.
I was first drawn to reading this book by the title and cover.
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![SECRETS FROM THE DUST by [George Hamilton]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/618Wm5s-AzL._SY346_.jpg)
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