Abusada

Mallawindy #1

by DETTMAN

Los secretos de familia acechan...Cuando Ann Burton nace a orillas del rio durante la noche, su padre, alterado por el alcohol y la miseria, intenta incendiar la casa familiar. Seis anos mas tarde, su hermana Liza desaparece misteriosamente de la casa de un tio, donde ambas ninas se refugian de la locura paterna. Ese dia, Ann es testigo de algo tan horrible que pierde la memoria y enmudece.Ann procura dejar atras su angustiosa infancia y encontrar consuelo en el amor y en una nueva vida lejos de Mallawindy, su pueblo natal. Pero oscuros secretos la acosan. Si quiere ser libre alguna vez, Ann debera regresar para encarar el pasado y curar viejas heridas.Joy Dettman es una de las maximas exponentes de la nueva novela australiana. Abusada combina una apasionante intriga llena de suspenso con un solido optimismo en las fuerzas renovadoras del amor y la verdad.Joy Dettman nacio en Victoria, Australia. Es autora de varios libros de cuentos y novelas, por los que ha recibido diferentes premios por su prosa precisa y elaborada. Pertenece a la nueva generacion de narradores australianos y es profesora de escritura creativa en un centro comunitario. Abusada es su primera novela traducida al castellano. Tiene cuatro hijos y actualmente vive en Melbourne."Una novela muy competente y llena de confianza en si misma."Sunday Telegraph"Una historia apasionante, bien contada. Joy Dettman es una novelista muy prometedora."Canberra Times

Genres: Fiction, Australia, Drama, Book Club

320 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

Reviews

[Debra · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book, not sure why I did not seek it out and read it earlier!! Read the Wood Creek series which was written after Mallawindy which I absolutely love. Joy Dettman is a superb Australian author. The books are down to earth, always hard luck stories, but so captivating. I thought I had worked out the mystery behind the story, but she still got me in the final twist. Well worth reading.

[alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

all dettman's books are amazing

[Gail · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is a real page turner, it has it all. I loved the short story of "Sir" in Diamonds in the Mud and Other Stories. I wanted more of his character... so I am happy I got it.

[Reannon Bowen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Joy Dettman writes such readable stories with characters that really get under your skin. While the style of writing was a little confusing at times it’s still a book that forces you to read just one more page.

[David · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting novel dealing with human relationships. The main character Ann Burton is born the night her drunken and tyrannical father tries to burn her house down in outback Australia. Witness to the disappearance of her little sister six years later she is struck dumb. Recused by her local school teacher she slowly learns to speak again and is revealed as a very bright girls/woman but still very much haunted by the demons of her past. The book deals with her trying to come to terms with her problems and their eventual resolution (which is a bit unbelievable). OK, I sort of enjoyed it, but at times I was not sure. Certainly very good in its description of outback Australia and of the havoc dysfunctional relationships can confer.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have friends who love Joy Dettman.
I have friends who roll their eyes at the mere mention of Joy Dettman.
I can see both sides.
I took this book away as a holiday read. It did the job, well.
It is a page turner....but not well constructed, in my opinion.
It keeps you guessing....but can be unbelievable too.
Dettman fans will love it.....lots will love it.....for me it’s 3 stars.

[Dhena Anggur · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mallawindy...a remote place in outback Australia...full of secrets, full of surprise...you won't have any clues unless you keep reading the book.

[Linda Joy · Rating 3 out of 5]

2 .5 ...Come on... all that ‘Past’ ...summed up so tidily??... in a paragraph?? A believable ending would have made this a proper 3 star!

[Claudia · Rating 4 out of 5]

We Listened mostly during a long car trip. It’s a long story that spans over more than 20 years. Although I enjoyed seeing the story line develop, there were parts that felt irrelevant to the main part of the book and possibly could have been shortened and parts that felt repetitive. When we had around 4.5 hours to go my interest started to fade but I really wanted to know the conclusion. We did try to “cheat” and tried finding out the ending by searching the web (thanks to tweens and teenagers in the car ) but found nothing, and even fast forwarded sections and still managed to work out what had had happened in a fraction of the time (at this point we were determined to finish the book by the time we get home, with only 2 hours left on our trip) but we hit an interesting spot again and my sons told me “go back” and we all were captivated (and did not finish by the time we got home) so yes, a great book after all. The ending had us all guessing and throwing out ideas but although we got close in parts we were still a mile off from what happened. Well worth reading. Had the book been shorter by a little bit (refer to comments above) my rating would have been closer to 5 stars. A great epic novel to read/ listen to.

[Simone Hurst · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think I just found a new favourite author. This story is incredible and I have struggled to put it down. Joy weaves a haunting tale of Ann Burton whose 7yo sister disappears when she is 6 leaving Ann with amnesia and the loss of her voice. Ann’s family is a hive of broken lives, dogged by domestic violence at the hands of her father and loss. Loss of joy, loss of life. With the love of a few, Ann finds her voice and carves a life for herself but only by running away from the heartache and the love of those closest to her. Gradually she finds her way home, rekindles the love of those she left behind and whether she wants it to of not, her memory gradually returns until it comes together in a haunting, twisted and deeply moving ending where perhaps, she can finally find peace and rest in a future of hope, love and joy.

[Carinya Kappler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Joy Dettman writes succinctly about the gritty hardships and domestic abuses in small town Australia. Her descriptions although colourful, are not always enjoyable. In this novel she describes the misplaced rage and hostility of a man who believes he has been hoodwinked by his brother. Jack Burton is an angry bitter individual who despises his family and the circumstances in which he finds himself. This creates a bitter legacy of hate and distrust through which his children battle every day. This is a complicated story full of twists and turns. Sometimes dark and disjointed, often flattened by hopelessness the family moves slowly on as the secrets of the past appear and reveal the true villains.
Not a book for the faint hearted but a beautifully written and constructed tale.
Carinya

[Kathy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I can't bring myself to make this any higher than 2 stars. I was enthralled for about the first 50% of the book, and after that I found myself trying to figure out what the author was trying to say. Repressed memory? Ok, got that. Domestic abuse? Ok, got that. But what is this all leading up to?? I finally flipped to the last 10 pages to see if it wrapped up in any sort of believable fashion, and the short answer is "sort of - but contrived." I went back and skimmed what I had skipped, and it didn't help any. It was still all too contrived.

[Kylie H · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful story set in the Mallee. A poor family with an alcoholic abusive father, a murdered child, another missing. All heart-breaking there is also humour and hope. Ann is mute, since her sister was murdered or kidnapped she can't communicate other than sign language. Yet her brother's teacher notices she is something special and starts to unravel the secret she carries.
A great family saga, right up there with Cloud Street.

[Suzanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Only Joy Dettman can suck someone into a book within the first chapter. And here I am, completely buried in another great read. I'm taking it slow. Yesterday's DUST is waiting in the wings for book 2.

A crime, a mystery. All taking place in a hot dusty western NSW town. Praise for Joy Dettman. I will eventually collect all her novels.

[Liss · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ahhhhhhh there is nothing I like more than a book you can't put down! And this was such a book....... twists, turns, complicated family dynamics. Dark at times but written as only Joy Dettman can write- perfection!!! A must read!!!!

[Berenice Kreymborg · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful Australiana novel about a struggling family in a country town. Many endearing characters and you wonder why the mother puts up with her domestic situation.
Enjoyed this book immensely and thoroughly recommend this one to anyone who is interested in Australia around the 1940's

[Jo :: The Country Book Nerd · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the Woody Creek books so I don’t know why it took me so long to read another of Joy Dettman’s books. Whilst I didn’t enjoy this one quite as much as the other series, it still had me hooked until the end. I can’t wait now to read all of Joy’s other books

[Andrea Marco · Rating 5 out of 5]

Realmente este libro tendría que tener mas reconocimiento, es una historia cruda, pero llena de misterio, con una pizca de romance, que si bien no es mucho, te atrapa. El final tiene un plot twist que te caes de culo

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a beautifully written book, full of love, perseverance, strength and also suspense. I thought I knew where the plot was leading but I didn't so the story had me right up until the end. Can highly recommend it and can't wait to read more of her work.

[Jaz Henery · Rating 4 out of 5]

I couldn't put it down. The mystery was wound through the narrative really well - somewhat predictable but still left me hanging to know exactly what happened. The relationships were well developed and highlighted the importance of children having trusted adults.

[Lindsay Pepper · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars, almost 4...

[Sharryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this story line a little confusing
at times. I thought some of the characters a bit odd.
All in all not a bad read but by all means not my favourite Joy Cettman novel.

[Lexie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great read

Joy Dettman only gets better, I could not stop reading until I got to the end, and still I wanted more

[Judith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another excellent read from Joy. I disappear into another world when I read her books

[Kylie Percival · Rating 4 out of 5]

Intriguing family story of dysfunction, childhood trauma and violence and the survival strategies of the children particularly the main character Anne. Very engaging.

[Claire Bradley]

Audio version

[Berenice Kreymborg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this story from start to finish..

[Bronwyn Rykiert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great story by Joy Dettman.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Australian author from Echuca who captures the real essence of the Australian outback - well written and easy to read. The last few chapters are filled with suspense with a real twist at the end.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

An emotionally gutting look at one of post-war Australia’s broken men and their families that they simultaneously loved and terrorised.