Terra Nullius: A Novel

"Jacky is running; he has escaped the residential school where children of the Natives are taken to be re-educated in the ways of the Settlers, who see the people they’ve subjugated as little better than animals. It’s a familiar colonial narrative, but Claire Coleman (a member of Australia’s Noongar Nation) deftly twists expectations. The invaders’ cruelty takes on a brutal and immediate context, and the nature of the homegrown resistance confronts some uncomfortable truths about the present. The novel was shortlisted for several Australian awards, and no wonder — it’s a debut that leaves you excited for what’s next."