A Flash in the Dust

When we learn about history in the late 1800’s, we mostly learn about what white man did what and when. We learn about what historians have deemed important and a lot of voices are lost to time. Meg Caddy has thoroughly researched Western Australia in 1899 and now they are telling the stories of young adults who have been underrepresented or forgotten. The main characters are Gil and Norah, two teenagers who escape from the Fremantle Asylum and are on the run in the dangerous Australian bush. They link up with two Nyungar brothers, who aid the girls, and the quartet try to find their ways home. This novel is set in a brutal time when rich white men ruled with violence and callous cruelty. Caddy is highlighting the bravery and kindness of those who have been continually oppressed. The girls encounter pompous men, rapists, outlaws, murderers, and a few kind souls. This book is reasonably heavy going and teens reading it will be equally fascinated, enthralled, and overwhelmed. Caddy is aware of these triggers though and handles it very well, without turning away from the horrors but not wallowing in them or glorifying them either. Caddy is also showcasing different genders and sexualities and asserting that queer identities are not a modern construct and that queer people deserve to be remembered in history too; she even includes some notes about real queer historical figures from Australia. This novel will appeal to teens who how are looking for a twisty and sharp adventure novel that has depth of character and explores a fresh type of hero that is different from the tropes.

The setting and behaviours in this book can be brutal at times. Trigger warnings for Sexual Assault, Racism, Homophobia, Poverty, Assault, Institutional Trauma