Reviews with content warning for Racism - Too Much Lip

Such an interesting and refreshing portrayal of an Aboriginal family. As the artist cover wrote (I couldn’t say it better myself): “Even on a flash motorbike, wearing a leather jacket, we belong right where our ancestors have been for generations…”

Kerry and her mob are brilliant, even Elvis the dog and Orange Cat. Her complicated feelings for her family and their trauma, the racism and colonialism they experience in their small community in Bundjalung country, and structural inequity experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians are explored on every page of this novel.

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ashtronomic's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This book holds nothing back, a raw, dark and brutal perspective on the experiences of Indigenous Australians.

Too Much Lip was difficult to read and that’s a good thing. The characters are disagreeable, but the novel takes readers on a journey to identify the necessity for their often unlikeable personalities. The novel explores the effect that generational trauma continues to have on first nations peoples in Australia and how that impacts families every day. Whilst reading I often found myself inwardly flinching due to uncomfortable situations and actions, so much so, that I was having doubts in the first few chapters. However, as the tale unravels you come to sympathise with the protagonists even as their actions continue to be contentious.

My only negative opinion on this book is that some POV chapters feel out of place and unnecessary.

This book's message is one that is incredibly difficult to convey, but Melissa Lucashenko has done an incredible job of enunciating the issue. If only more white Australians had any interest in experiencing these perspectives.

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