“Remember, daughter, the world is a lot bigger than anyone knows. There are things that science may never explain. Maybe some things that shouldn’t be explained.”
Recommended by an Australian friend, whose review hooked my interest. It's unavailable as an ebook in the UK, so I went for the Audible version, splendidly read by Tuuli Narkle (who, like the protagonists and the author, is of First Nations descent). The one drawback of audio books is that I don't tag passages and make notes for reviews...
Laney and Stacey are twins, growing up with their mother -- their father's dead -- in a small town in Queensland. Stacey's a good girl, studying hard so she can leave behind their small town, with all its casual racism and long-standing feuds. Laney prefers to skive off school, hang out with her boyfriend Troy, and freewheel through life. But one night Stacey doesn't come home, and Laney's been dreaming of her twin being snatched by someone ... or something.
This is a YA novel with elements of horror and fantasy, firmly rooted in First Nations spiritual beliefs and the stories that have been handed down through the generations. The most monstrous element of Ghost Bird is the combination of racism and apathy that Stacey encounters at every turn, from her school and from the police, and from the white folk who refuse access to 'their' land, where Laney disappeared. Stacey isn't allowed to join the adults in their search, either, which she resents bitterly. She is not without resources, though: she has the old stories her Nan told her, she has her awesome cousin Rhiannon, and she is not afraid to break the rules.
There's a lot of emotional tension in this novel, especially between Stacey and her mum: there's also tension between how Stacey has been brought up to behave, and what she feels is right. I loved the close-knit extended family, with its complex connections, obligations and loyalties; the focus on women and girls, rather than men; the role of tradition, belief and stories. Fuller has a gift for imagery, and even in a cold British winter I could feel the suffocating heat and the dryness of the land. This is an excellent first novel, and I'll look out for more by this author.
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