A different kind of odyssey: ‘Blood’ by Tony Birch
Tony Birch is a multi-award winning First Nations author, poet and artist. Blood was his debut novel, first published in 2011, and shortlisted for the 2012 Miles Franklin Literary Prize. I read the newer edition, re-published in 2023 as part of UQP’s First Nations Classic series. This volume has a thoughtful introduction by Larissa Behrendt, another Australian author whose work I admire.
Blood is part coming-of-age story, part ‘road trip’ novel, if a journey undertaken mostly on foot can be considered a road trip.
It’s told from the perspective of thirteen-year-old Jesse, who together with his eight-year-old sister Rachel, must endure the stresses that come with the haphazard parenting of their mother, a deeply flawed and damaged alcoholic who makes a series of disastrous relationship and life choices. The problem for the children is that Gwen is damaging as well as damaged.
Their lives together make for an almost complete train wreck of an existence, with some moments of respite provided by a couple of well-meaning characters: Jon (an ex-prisoner who, during his time with the family makes an effort to provide some care and attention for the kids) and Pop (their grandfather, who has fought his own demons but now seeks some redemption by being a better grandfather than he was a father).
Jesse has made a promise – a blood promise – to his sister, to always take care of her. While there are moments where he dreams of escaping on his own to make his own, better, life away from their mother, deep down he knows that the bond between him and Rachel cannot ever be broken.
When the pair end up facing real danger as a result of their mother’s terrible choices, their ‘road trip’ begins, as they set off on foot to find their grandfather again. There are many hazards along the way and the two kids have to rely on their wits, courage and fortitude to survive.
The characters are brilliantly drawn, the children especially so, but all of the people with whom they come in contact feel realistic, people we might encounter should we be in similar circumstances. Gwen is a difficult figure to relate to or feel warmly towards, as we witness the disruptive effects of her chaotic mind and emotions on her youngsters. Yet I’m sure many readers will have known someone like Gwen.
Larissa Behrendt points out in her introduction that one of the great strengths of Tony Birch’s writing is the way he manages to portray First Nations characters without any of the stereotypes so often seen in such stories. Jesse and Rachel have Aboriginal heritage but it is referred to briefly, almost downplayed – yet there is an undercurrent of strength that the children draw on unconsciously that is part of their shared heritage. The children’s development as the novel progresses is beautifully portrayed – Rachel, especially, turns up quite a surprise at the story’s end.
At its heart, Blood is about kinship and the bonds – both constructive and destructive – that exist even in the most difficult of family circumstances. It’s the kind of book that, were it a movie, you might watch through parted fingers, especially the harder bits, but I felt drawn to the story and its people and was propelled through the pages. I really cared what happened to those two kids on their odyssey through the Australian countryside and through life.
I was fortunate to attend a Sydney Writers Festival ‘Homegrown’ event at the State Library in Sydney recently, where Tony Birch was interviewed by podcasters Sophie Gee and Jonty Claypole from the podcast ‘The Secret Life of Books’. (If you love hearing about the context in which classic books and poems were written, the history of their creation and the writers’ lives, this is a wonderful podcast to subscribe to.) The discussion was engrossing and wide ranging and confirmed my impression that Blood should indeed be regarded as a modern Australian classic.
Blood, First Nations Classics Edition, was published by UQP in 2023.
At the State Library of NSW ‘Homegrown’ event on 19th Sept 2026. Photo by author. 
‘Women & Children’ by Tony Birch
Australian First nations author Tony Birch’s 2023 novel Women & Children was shortlisted for the 2024 Australian Book Industry Awards – Literary Fiction Book of the Year.
Set in the mid 1960’s it concerns a young boy, Joe Cluny, whose main preoccupation is his tendency to court trouble with the nuns at his Catholic school. He lives in a working class suburb with his single mum and older sister. They are a tight-knit family with the usual money problems and squabbles of families in his neighbourhood.
When his mum’s sister Oona appears at their door, Joe’s world view has to adjust to a new reality – that of violence perpetrated on women by the men in their lives, and the way doors slam when they seek help.
Joe comes to understand that there are many types of men, including Oona’s violent boyfriend and his own, mostly absent, father. There is the priest who won’t help Oona. But there is also his grandfather Charlie, and Charlie’s friend Ranji, both of whom offer a kind of companionable time-out from the troubles and mysteries of the adult world.
As Joe tries to understand the complexities of his society and the way that secrets can damage, he has to leave part of his childhood behind.
This reads like a very personal sort of novel, which the author acknowledges in his note at the end:
Women & Children is a work of fiction. It is not the story of my own family, but a story motivated by our family’s refusal to accept silence as an option in our lives.
Women & Children loc 208 of 210 (eBook)One of the novel’s strengths is its spare use of language and the way it conjures young Joe’s world, largely seen through his eyes.
Another is the bond and strength of the female characters: Joe’s mum Marion, Oona, and his sister Ruby, all demonstrate a particular quality of spirit, hints that they will survive, perhaps even thrive, despite the obstacles lined up against them.
Children who have the kinds of troubling experiences that Joe has had, need allies. Charlie and Ranji are good examples of how adults can provide alternative experiences so crucial for kids to understand that violence does not have to be part of relationships.
This novel tells a simple story that is both very old and completely current. I wish it didn’t feel so timely, but it deals with a theme that, sadly, seems to be ever present. Uncovering the silences and secrets around violence and what it does to people is an essential step to stopping it.
Women & Children was published by UQP in 2023.
