A kindness cup by Thea Astley

Book set in The Leap, Australia. Reread on 2020/07: https://www.instagram.com/p/CCytsUWACaO/

Reviewed on 2019/02: https://www.instagram.com/p/BuVyv8XneEi/

WOW! I’m now in love with anything published by #textclassics . The rare ones I can find here in the States, I just buy them right away. That’s how I randomly ended up reading #akindnesscupby #theaastley . From what I read online, #astley is a household name in her native #australia . That rejoices me because this book should probably be required reading everywhere by now. Her style is blunt and direct without ignoring the importance of an intricate twist or an elegant description. However two points stood up for me. First the idea of unresolved #pain not going anywhere. We tend to think that the passing of time improves things or makes everything whole again. However the events that took place in this tiny little town 20 or 30 years ago “suddenly” reappear in full force and shatter sacrosanct certainties and self-imposed silences. The small town of #theleap in #queensland is in so many ways representative of groups and communities all over the world which decide to forget without really digging into the root causes of it all. All the pain ignored and inflicted inevitably comes back with a thirst for revenge from within. From within is important here because Astley also reinforces the importance of the #traitor . A lot more important than empathy, a lot more important than reaching out to the other, to other groups, our stories are in dire need of traitors. This book is not about how to look for what the other has done wrong or single out groups which have wronged you or others, not about separating the bad people from the victims. It’s all about infiltrating your own group, your own people with the message of the other. How do you ultimately use your role as a member of a group, of a community, of an identity to dare to ask questions and think differently: dissenting from within. #highlyrecommended #australianliterature#lynching #justice #magistrate #racism#bloodinourhands #mandarana#historicalfiction #thinkdifferently#aboriginals