Song of the Crocodile is a 2020 novel by the Australian author Nardi Simpson.[1]
| Author | Nardi Simpson |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | Novel |
| Publisher | Hachette Australia |
Publication date | 29 September 2020 |
| Publication place | Australia |
| Media type | |
| Pages | 448 pp. |
| ISBN | 9780733643743 |
It was the winner of the 2021 ALS Gold Medal.
Synopsis
editThe Australian country town of Darnmoor features a welcoming sign calling it "the Gateway to Happiness", a notion that is only applicable depending on the colour of your skin. The novel follows the Billymil family, who live just outside of town, across three generations, and details the tensions that exist between them and the local white settlers.
Critical reception
editReviewing the novel for Australian Book Review Jane Sullivan called the novel "one of many valuable and sometimes enthralling cross-cultural moments".[2]
In The Saturday Paper Khalid Warsame found in the novel "stunning moments of perfect fluidity and permeability, where Simpson’s deep engagement with the ancestries and cosmology of her people comes through".[3]
Awards
edit- 2021 ALS Gold Medal – winner[4]
- 2021 Miles Franklin Award – longlisted[5]
Notes
edit- Dedication: For my ngurrambaa
- Epigraph: 'our initiations continue, the bloodletting flows, the boy comes out and the man begins.' - Max Dulumunmun Harrison
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Song of the Crocodile by Nardi Simpson (Hachette 2020)". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 5 December 2024.
- ^ ""Cross over into Campgrounds"". Australian Book Review, Jan-Feb 2021. Retrieved 5 December 2024.
- ^ ""Nardi Simpson Song of the Crocdile"". The Saturday Paper, 17 October 2020. Retrieved 5 December 2024.
- ^ "Simpson wins 2021 ALS Gold Medal for 'Song of the Crocodile'". Books+Publishing. 21 July 2021. Archived from the original on 21 July 2021. Retrieved 5 December 2024.
- ^ "Miles Franklin Literary Award 2021 longlist announced". Books+Publishing. 18 May 2021. Retrieved 5 December 2024.