Margins
Borderland book cover
Borderland
2023
First Published
3.70
Average Rating
203
Number of Pages

Age range 13+ Jono, a city-born Indigenous teenager is trying to figure out who he really is. Life in Brisbane hasn't exactly made him feel connected to his Country or community. Luckily, he's got his best friend, Jenny, who has been by his side through their hectic days at St Lucia Private. After graduating, Jono and Jenny score gigs at the Aboriginal Performing Arts Centre and an incredible opportunity comes knocking - interning with a documentary crew. Their mission? To promote a big government mining project in the wild western Queensland desert. The catch? The details are sketchy, and the land is rumoured to be sacred. But who cares? Jono is stoked just to be part of something meaningful. Plus, he gets to be the lead presenter! Life takes a turn when they land in Gambari, a tiny rural town far from the hustle and bustle of the city. Suddenly, Jono's intuition becomes his best guide. He's haunted by an eerie omen of death, battling suffocating panic attacks, and even experiencing visions of Wudun - a malevolent spirit from the Dreaming. What's the real story behind the gas mining venture? Are the documentary crew hiding something from Jono? And could Wudun be a messenger from the land, fighting back against the invasion? Borderland is a heart-pounding horror gothic that follows Jono on an epic quest to find himself in the face of unbelievable challenges. Graham Akhurst, the brilliant mind behind this coming-of-age gem, is a Fulbright scholar from the Kokomini of Northern Queensland. Brace yourself for a fresh, mind-bending tale exploring Indigenous identity, the impact of colonization, and what happens when you take a stand.

Avg Rating
3.70
Number of Ratings
210
5 STARS
18%
4 STARS
44%
3 STARS
32%
2 STARS
4%
1 STARS
2%
goodreads

Author

Graham Akhurst
Graham Akhurst
Author · 2 books
Graham Akhurst is an Aboriginal writer and academic hailing from the Kokomini of Northern Queensland. He is currently a Lecturer of Indigenous Australian Studies and Creative Writing at The University of Technology Sydney. His debut YA novel Borderland will be publishing in Australia with The University of Western Australia Press in 2023. He is a contributing editor at Kweli Journal, New York City. Graham was named the first Indigenous recipient of the Fulbright W.G Walker award as the highest-ranked postgraduate Australian applicant. His Fulbright funded the completion of an MFA in Fiction from Hunter College (CUNY). Graham also completed an MPhil and a first-class honours degree both in Creative Writing from The University of Queensland. He has published widely in Australia and America for short fiction, creative non-fiction, and poetry. Graham currently lives and works on Gadigal Country in Sydney and is writing his second novel.
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