Needles In The Haystack

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Note

The aboriginal character in this novel is not just a token black. I couldn't write a story set in australia without including some aboriginal stuff. However, i am very conscious of not putting "white words in black mouths" and the need to let aboriginal people tell their own stories without the european interpretation that was universal until fairly recently.

This leaves me in quite an awkward position. But i have tried to include the minimum aboriginal material i could so as not to portray a wholly white australia, and the maximum i felt comfortable with without excessive use of black characters to say what i'm trying to get across.

What i write is an expression of my view of reality and that view of reality has been quite strongly influenced by what i have learnt from a fair bit of contact with aboriginal people. So to a certain extent the words i put in Jimmy's mouth are an interpretation of what i've learnt from aboriginal people. But, of course, like all the other characters, what he says comes out of my head and therefore are my words. They should not be taken as representing the beliefs or opinions of anyone else, black or white.

click here to go to chapter one