Benang, From the Heart

Harley, a man of Nyoongar ancestry, finds himself at a difficult point in the history of his country, family and self. As the apparently successful outcome of his white grandfather’s enthusiastic attempts to isolate and breed the ‘first white man born’, he wants to be a failure. But would such failure mean his Nyoongar ancestors could label him a success? And how can the attempted genocide represented by his family history be told?

Kate Challis Award (Winner 2001)
Western Australian Premier’s Book Award (Winner 2000)
Miles Franklin Literary Award (Winner 2000)
Queensland Premier’s Literary Award (Shortlisted 2000)
Dublin Impac Literary Award (Longlisted 2000)