Kim Scott won the Miles Franklin Award more than a decade ago for his novel Benang. His latest will surely be considered for a raft of major prizes. Scott, who is from south-west Western Australia and has mixed Noongar and English heritage, has written a novel about first contact, which traces the initial decades of British presence in a fictional settlement on the coast. The story revolves around Bobby Wabalanginy, his people and the shifting alliances and relationships that both link him to the fledgling colony and distance him from it. The insights into early colonial times in WA are fascinating, especially the section concerning the Yankee whalers. However, it is the Noongar people, and their light touch on the landscape, which hold the greatest interest in the book. What starts as a reasonably promising relationship between the British and the Noongar gradually deteriorates as the power shifts towards the newcomers until Bobby is forced to choose between the old world and the new. While the story is compelling, what makes this an extraordinary book is the writing. Scott’s prose shimmers. This is a book that demands to be savoured. It also has much to say about Indigenous Australians and the irrevocable impact of English colonisation on their lives. While contemporary writers such as Kate Grenville, Richard Flanagan, Andrew McGahan and Alex Miller have all wrestled with related themes, Scott’s flawlessly written tale adds both meaning and depth to this deeply Australian story.

Toni Whitmont is a bookseller, blogger and editor of Booktopia Buzz. This review first appeared in the October 2010 issue of Bookseller+Publisher magazine.

Tags: Kim Scott, Miles Franklin, review, That Deadman Dance, WA

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