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A review by lisa_setepenre
Plains of Promise by Alexis Wright
5.0
In Australia's red centre, a woman is haunted by crows and driven mad by the seizure of her daughter. Ivy, the daughter, endures life at a Christian mission and is ultimately incarcerated in a mental hospital after her own daughter, Mary, is taken from her. Mary begins to work in the Aboriginal Coalition after discovering her heritage and returns to the mission that was at the centre of her mother's and grandmother's suffering. Here, Aboriginal spirituality clashes with colonial ruthlessness, and mythology mixes with reality.
Alexis Wright's Plains of Promise was a hard read. The subject matter is very dark and sad, illuminated by the stark brutality that Wright invokes. The writing style does not make for an easy, flowing read and I did find it hard going at first.
However, I am sorry to finish this book and there are a lot of strengths there. It is brilliantly creepy with the images it invokes and though much is explained, somethings are not. The prose is stunning at times – the final three pages were my highlight for what they invoked and revealed.
Alexis Wright's Plains of Promise was a hard read. The subject matter is very dark and sad, illuminated by the stark brutality that Wright invokes. The writing style does not make for an easy, flowing read and I did find it hard going at first.
However, I am sorry to finish this book and there are a lot of strengths there. It is brilliantly creepy with the images it invokes and though much is explained, somethings are not. The prose is stunning at times – the final three pages were my highlight for what they invoked and revealed.