Nukkin Ya

Deadly, Unna? #2

by Phillip Gwynne

Nukkin Ya is the sequel to Deadly, Unna?. Fifteen-year-old Gary Black, 'Blacky', isn't sure what he wants or where he is going. The one thing he does know is that he wants to escape the small country town he's grown up in.

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Australia, Indigenous

336 pages, Paperback

Published August 1, 2000

About the author

Phillip Gwynne's first novel Deadly Unna? the literary hit of 1998, has now sold over 180,000 copies. It was made into the feature film Australian Rules for which Phillip won an AFI award. The sequel, Nukkin Ya, was published to great acclaim in 2000. He has also written The Worst Team Ever, Born to Bake, and A Chook Called Harry in the Aussie Bites series, and Jetty Rats. Phillip's latest novel, the adult detective thriller The Build Up, is being made into a 13-part TV series on SBS, and his YA novel, Swerve, will be published in 2010.

He now lives in Leura, New South Wales, with his wife and three children: aged 17, 2 and 1

Reviews

[Nikki · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a little harder to get into than the first book, but it was really enjoyable to read. Some of the content is heavier than the first book, and so some of the humour has been sacrificed. But overall, I think this is a really good sequel, and really takes the story further than where Deadly, Unna left off. I'd recommend for older readers, because of some of the heavy themes (and specifically violence in this one).

[MavericktheMadDawg MavericktheMadDawg · Rating 5 out of 5]

I HATE THIS BOOK!!! - The reason why I hate it is because this is number 2 of a two book series and i wish it was a trilogy. A beautiful story and again - like Deadly Unna?- beautifully executed. The only reason it is not received as well as the first book is because Deadly Unna? was so good, nothing could of topped that. A great end to a great story. Please o please Mr. Gwynne give us third book.

[Shane · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fantastically simple story that sums up how it could feel to be a teenage boy growing up in an isolated country town racked with racial tension. Not quite as good as Deadly Unna, but still very very good.

[Sharolyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. The themes felt a bit more grown up, a bit heavier than the last book but that made sense because Gary was a year or so older.

Once again I loved his voice and perspective, his way of seeing the world and making sense of it. His insights and quirks. And the fact that he seemed like a genuinely good fellow. Darcy is also a great character, as is Shirl. It’s full of them when I think about it. Gary’s mum is a treasure too. Some of them seem like caricatures they are so over the top, but also very real.

Lots of it felt pretty raw, to hear the awful derogatory language used to describe the Indigenous community living at the Point. The unbelievable prejudice and double standards is sickening.

And once again it’s got me feeling nostalgic for the beautiful Australian summer. This book and it’s precursor feel like Aussie classics to me. Portraits of a time and place. Highly recommend.

[Sarah Thornton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent follow up to the original. Town is still rife with tension after a local Nunga boy was killed during a robbery. The town is in shambles, and slowly dying as tourists avoid the bad blood there.
Didn't expect Gary to take one for that particular team, but even as an outcast he managed to sort it.

[Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I liked what this novel was trying to do, the story didn't grab me and compel me to keep reading. It is a decent sequel to "Deadly Unna?", and together the pair make a good lower YA series which would appeal to all genders.

[Charlie Spencer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book. I think it absolutely did Deadly Unna? justice. Usually the second book isn't great, but this one was perfect! The thing that I didn't really like, was that they never solved the main problem and Blacky didn't solve his problems, he just ran away from them. The book had a really big build up of anticipation, but then the ending was kind of underwhelming. That is the one thing that subtracted my stars. other wise this book was, *chefs kiss* perfect!

[Vanessa.Willetts · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read Deadly Unna so many times - to many classes who have all enjoyed. For some reason I never thought about reading this, the sequel until this now. It was a great read. Blacky is a really likeable character. But I think what is best is that all the relationships shown here are complicated - there isn't any neatness in what is going on and that is really important in YA writing and doesn't always happen. The writing seems very real and true to life for me, and I'm sure it resonates with many other people who have grown up in that time and were either living in a rural community and/or were 'povo'. Highly recommended.

[Hung · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 Stars.

Reading this book did not change my life, but I loved the book. The characters are more developed and has more depth. The story actually went somewhere. Would love to read Gary Black next adventure.

[Jes · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read the first book for english and decided to read the secound one. It's alright i liked the first one more

[claud. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Damn. These characters have grown on me, especially Blacky. I'm gonna miss him. I hope Adelaide treats him well.

Wish there was a third book coming out though, but that's highly unlikely.

[Kerry · Rating 4 out of 5]

The sequel to "Deadly Unna". Not as good but still a fascinating read.

[Cass A · Rating 2 out of 5]

Teen fiction. #2 following 'Deadly Unna.'

[Janine · Rating 3 out of 5]

An easy read.