Compassion

by Julie Janson

From the acclaimed author of the Miles Franklin long-listed The River Serpent (UWA) and the Barbara Jefferis Award shortlisted Benevolence, Compassion continues Julie Janson's emotional and intense literary exploration of the complex and dangerous lives of Aboriginal women during the 1800s in colonial New South Wales, which she began in Benevolence as a counter narrative to colonial history in Australian literature.

Compassion is the dramatized life story of one of Julie Janson's ancestors who went on trial for stealing livestock in New South Wales, and it is an exciting and violent story of anti-colonial revenge and roaming adventure. A gripping fictive account of Aboriginal life in the 1800s, Compassion follows the life of Duringah, AKA Nell James, the outlaw daughter of the Darug hero of Benevolence, Muraging.

Genres: Historical, Australia

372 pages, Paperback

Published March 1, 2024

About the author

Julie is a Burruberongal woman of Darug Aboriginal Nation. She is co-recipient of the Oodgeroo Noonuccal Poetry Prize, 2016 and winner of the Judith Wright Poetry Prize, 2019.

Reviews

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

2025 Miles Franklin Shortlist

This is a hard one to rate and I really wanted to rate it higher but I just couldn't get along with the way it's written. I found it very hard to get a grip on the characters and to get into the story. It feels very choppy, short and sharp, which made the characterisation feel a bit flat and made the story move at a breakneck pace. In someways it works for this story, like an adhd response to trauma, disconnection and dispossession. The characters are often on the move, sometimes being chased so the writing works with that aspect too.
Importantly, there's merit in showing indigenous women with agency in Colonial times. I also liked the way Dharug words were used through the book.
I think I just wanted a better editor to go through it and identify where a little tweaking could make for a better novel. Obviously the Miles Franklin judging panel thought it was good enough or an important enough story to make it a contender for the prize. I hope a few more readers give it a chance and make up their own minds.

[Courtney · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unfortunately this didn't work for me. The concept is great, early settlement and colonisation of New South Wales through the eyes of the Indigenous inhabitants but the writing was just far too chaotic.

Our main character is Duringah/Nellie James, a Durag girl who is searching for herself in her missing mother and unknown white father. This is the crux of the character and she never truly evolves beyond it despite the many experiences she goes through including finding those absent parents and having her own child. This lack of character building and the constant on again, off again relationship with Thomas makes a frustrating read. There is, of course, the constant threat of violence from the white colonisers in their various forms, and the tension that stalks Duringah/Nellie through her entire existence despite whatever side of the law she occupies is well done. It is always present no matter how she tries to carve out a life.

There is something insubstantial about the lack of character development, it makes the narrative feel flat and undeveloped. I wish this was better.

[The Honest Book Reviewer · Rating 2 out of 5]

There’s a strong and important story at the heart of this novel, and I appreciated the themes and ideas throughout the pages. It gave me insight into parts of colonial history I wasn’t familiar with, and I found myself wanting to learn more. That shows the book is working on some level.

But there are some things that didn’t work for me. The structure becomes repetitive very quickly. The protagonist is captured, released, commits a crime, captured again. This cycle repeats so often that the tension drains away, and the emotional investment starts to feel shallow. The writing style also feels uneven. It's very choppy and I found it difficult to engage with the book overall. the story drifting between seriousness, farce, and mythic tone without fully committing to any of them.

I think this could have been a more compelling novella. The heart of the story is there but it lost me with the rhythm and the repetitive threads.

This book is an interesting and thought-provoking read, but not an enjoyable one for me.

[Paris Chadwick · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is a really hard book to read. there's so much repatriation and respect owed in Australia and it's hard to know where to start

[George · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. An engaging, eventful, violent, historical fiction novel set in New South Wales, Australia in the 1840s and early 1850s. The story is told from the perspective of Duringah (also known as Nell Jones), a young aboriginal woman, whose father was a white priest. Nell is separated from her mother at an early age and under the guardianship of a violent farmer. She escapes and then is captured and imprisoned in the Paramatta Female factory. She once again escapes, becoming a lover to an aboriginal. She has a baby. Nell is a restless soul and is involved in horse stealing and armed robberies.

An enthralling read about the adventures of an aboriginal woman. The book provides the aboriginal perspective of what it was like to live in mostly rural New South Wales in the 1840s.

This book was shortlisted for the 2025 Miles Franklin Award.

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the fascinating and devastating story of Duringah, a Darug woman, growing up in colonised New South Wales in the mid-1800s.

It is written at a break-neck speed as she is constantly on the move, sometimes of her own choice, at other times escaping servitude and the law.

Part adventure story (Duringah is a bushranger), part love story, and part almost-journal, this novel covers alot of ground. And this is interspersed with beautiful descriptions of the wildlife, the waters and forests and the spirits of the land. But contrasts awfully with the ugliness of the settlers’ treatment of the people of the land.

I really enjoyed the focus of the story on Duringah’s connection to country and family.

The audio narrated by Tamala Shelton was excellent and really contributed to my enjoyment.

[Monika Johnston · Rating 2 out of 5]

Short listed for the Miles Franklin award. I could not engage with this book. I did listen to it on audio and I do wonder if I would have been more engaged perhaps if I read it. The narrator didn't really work for me. But I do think it was the writing and story itself that didn't resonate with me. I found it very repetitive feeling that the main character kept coming back to crime/her paramour/her father/court etc. swearing this as the last time and then she was back to it. It was me .. not the book.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best historical fiction books that I've read. It's a raw and unfiltered portrayal of the experience of colonisation for Australia's First Nations Aboriginal people. The story is centred on the life story of a child who survives into adolescence and young adulthood. The book gives an insight into the survival and resilience of one of the world's oldest cultures

[Meg]

This book started so well, with a fascinating main character and setting - a strong Darug girl in early 19th century colonial Australia. But I found the plot lurched from one thing to another. I'm glad I tried it, but I found it too difficult to finish.

[Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Courageous

[Georgia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh, where do I begin.
Compassion is a powerful and moving read that explores colonial injustice and Indigenous resilience. The characters are vivid, the text compelling, and the historical setting gripping. While pacing occasionally falters, the emotional depth and cultural importance make it a must read.

This is my first Julie Jenson book, so I will definitely be picking up Benevolence and other works.