Borderland

by Graham Akhurst

Age range 13+

Jono, a city-born Indigenous teenager is trying to figure out who he really is. Life in Brisbane hasn't exactly made him feel connected to his Country or community. Luckily, he's got his best friend, Jenny, who has been by his side through their hectic days at St Lucia Private.

After graduating, Jono and Jenny score gigs at the Aboriginal Performing Arts Centre and an incredible opportunity comes knocking - interning with a documentary crew. Their mission? To promote a big government mining project in the wild western Queensland desert. The catch? The details are sketchy, and the land is rumoured to be sacred. But who cares? Jono is stoked just to be part of something meaningful. Plus, he gets to be the lead presenter!

Life takes a turn when they land in Gambari, a tiny rural town far from the hustle and bustle of the city. Suddenly, Jono's intuition becomes his best guide. He's haunted by an eerie omen of death, battling suffocating panic attacks, and even experiencing visions of Wudun - a malevolent spirit from the Dreaming. What's the real story behind the gas mining venture? Are the documentary crew hiding something from Jono? And could Wudun be a messenger from the land, fighting back against the invasion?

Borderland is a heart-pounding horror gothic that follows Jono on an epic quest to find himself in the face of unbelievable challenges. Graham Akhurst, the brilliant mind behind this coming-of-age gem, is a Fulbright scholar from the Kokomini of Northern Queensland. Brace yourself for a fresh, mind-bending tale exploring Indigenous identity, the impact of colonization, and what happens when you take a stand.

Genres: Young Adult, Horror, Indigenous, Fiction, Mystery, Family, Australia

236 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2023

About the author

Graham Akhurst is an Aboriginal writer and academic hailing from the Kokomini of Northern Queensland. He is currently a Lecturer of Indigenous Australian Studies and Creative Writing at The University of Technology Sydney. His debut YA novel Borderland will be publishing in Australia with The University of Western Australia Press in 2023. He is a contributing editor at Kweli Journal, New York City. Graham was named the first Indigenous recipient of the Fulbright W.G Walker award as the highest-ranked postgraduate Australian applicant. His Fulbright funded the completion of an MFA in Fiction from Hunter College (CUNY). Graham also completed an MPhil and a first-class honours degree both in Creative Writing from The University of Queensland. He has published widely in Australia and America for short fiction, creative non-fiction, and poetry. Graham currently lives and works on Gadigal Country in Sydney and is writing his second novel.

Reviews

[Sheree | Keeping Up With The Penguins · Rating 3 out of 5]

Borderland is an intense speculative eco-horror YA novel. It felt oddly dissonant to me in that the content is fairly mature, but the language/prose skews a little young. The pacing is also a bit odd; it has a slow build, then a rapid-fire resolution. As for the story itself, I really liked how Akhurst depicted differences and division within the First Nations community. It’s a (very timely) reminder that the Indigenous population is not a monolith, and there’s no unanimity about issues that impact them.

My full review of Borderland is up now on Keeping Up With The Penguins.

[Elizabeth Little · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this gothic horror thriller from Graham Akhurst.

The protagonist Jonathan is a multi-layered young man grappling with questions of purpose and identity - lots of things that people of all age could relate to - but added to that is the complexity of his unknown 'country', or Indigenous ancestral identity.

The narrative explores lots of big topics - Indigenous ownership and stewardship of land and country, young people grappling with their identities, as well as 'emerging elders' coming to terms with what their responsibility will look like - and it does all of this through a gothic horror/fantasy 'dreaming' motif. I love the way texts like this blur the genre lines between gothic/horror/fantasy/young adult/dreaming/mythology. Another text that does this really well is Ghostbird. It makes you question what is real, and whether 'real' really matters when the unbelievable is having 'real' consequences on people anyway.

[BOof · Rating 5 out of 5]

Graham Akhurst's novel is at once complex and breezy, portraying a young Indigenous actor who sets out to Gunggari (south-west Queensland) to film a documentary about mining. Meanwhile, he's haunted by visions of a malevolent entity from the Dreaming, a spirit that assumes more and more flesh as the story progresses.

Although the novel is steeped in issues of Native Title, the importance of reconnecting with Country, differing perceptions on the nature of reality and the spiritual world, it never feels didactic. Akhurst is a hidden presence in the text; he has allowed the characters, and their lives, to speak for themselves. It was also really invigorating to see how the tropes of Gothic/horror fiction were entwined in new and nuanced ways with Dreaming myths. I've read in a couple of places that people found the pacing slow, but this is a feeling I don't share. The ending, yes, is full of dramatic bravado---pace-wise, it escalates to extraordinary heights. But some of my favourite moments occurred in the first half of the novel, where Jono, wayward and adrift, was trying to make sense of his world . . .

[K. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Trigger warnings: assault, blood, horror, Stolen Generations, environmental destruction, parent with cancer

3.5 stars

This definitely gave me the absolute creeps. But it was very strangely paced. Like, it's not a long book. It's just over 200 pages. And yet it takes half the book to actually get on a plane, longer to get out on Country. And so it felt like the story was a little disjointed. Ultimately, I was left with the feeling that this would probably make a better screenplay/film than it did novel because some of the subplots - like Jono's mum having cancer - could actually be addressed in some kind of meaningful way rather than being mentioned in passing.

The horror/environmental aspects of the plot also perhaps weren't quite as well developed as I wanted them to be, and I feel like it needed EITHER another 50 pages in total OR 50 pages less in the first half and 50 pages MORE in the second half. Definitely promising! But strangely paced.

[Laura Farrington · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading this completely outside of my normal comfort zone. It was fantastic, I was completely drawn into Jenny and Jono's story. I loved how the author brought the Dreamtime to life, an amazing way to help a non-indigenous person really understand the beliefs and meaning.

CBCA Notable List 2024 - Older Readers

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars. Loved the Indigenous People's representation and social commentary on the struggle of racism in Australia, but the horror element was very tame and typically YA.

[Ms Harrison · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting premise and endearing character but the evolution of the story felt both rushed and repetitive in places.

14 Years+

[Tori · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid YA read exploring city-born Indigenous teen Jono learning about his connection to country in a story that covers dream time stories, horrific creatures, a commentary on mining and more.

[Diana · Rating 5 out of 5]

YA - would be good for Y9 maybe. It took me a bit to get used the writing style but the lead to the climax and after was a great ride. Really picks up pace. Very enjoyable.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Was a hoot reading a story with ties to my home town of Brisbane, and told with such heart and vulnerability. We follow 17 year old Jono's story of disconnect, family and the love of country - set against the backdrop of the Dreaming and an ominous creature who returns to cure the land. Not sure I'd call this a 'horror' story, but I loved the magpie totem imagery and the descriptions of the Aussie landscape. "The magpie spirit animal is a messenger foretelling death and the birth of new life." (p51) Found it sweet when the characters rented a holiday unit near Cotton Tree - one of my favourite places on the Sunshine Coast :D Support Aussie Indigenous authors and you'll find some great reads. 'Borderland' has also been shortlisted for 'Best Horror Novel' and 'Best Young Adult Novel' in the 2023 Aurealis Awards!

https://fishbirdcentral.com

[Ali · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a nicely paced, engaging suspense/coming of age story. The characters feel like sympathetic teens, and engaging themes of identity, and the storyline is tense and vivid without being gory or frightening. The exploration of Australian Indigenous communities feels sensitively but not unrealistically done.
I'm not sure the ages are pitched quite right. The writing style would appeal to younger and mid-teens, as I think would both the adventure and identity sections of the plot, but the characters are pitched older with early adulthood (career, romance) concerns. I'm sure there are plenty of the target demographic who will love it, but it feels like a missed opportunity for a great Australian story to appeal to younger teens, which is a bit rarer.

[Clare Snow · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was bored until chapter 22, so not ideal

[Helen Farch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jono, a city-born Indigenous teenager is trying to figure out who he really is.

Life in Brisbane hasn't exactly made him feel connected to his country or community.

Luckily he's got his best friend, Jenny, who has been by his side through their hectic days at St Lucia Private.

After graduating, Jono and Jenny score gigs at the Aboriginal Performing Arts Centre and an incredible opportunity comes knocking - interning with a documentary crew.

Their mission?

To promote a big government mining project in the wild western Queensland desert.

The catch?

The details are sketchy, and the land is rumoured to be sacred.

But who cares? Jono is stoked just to be part of something meaningful. Plus he gets to be the lead presenter.

Life takes a turn when they land in Gambari, a tiny rural town far from the hustle and bustle of the city.

Suddenly Jono's intuition becomes his best guide.

He's haunted by a eerie omen of death, battling suffocating panic attacks, and even experiencing visions of Wudun - a malevolent spirit from the Dreaming.

What's the real story behind the gas mining venture?

Are the documentary crew hiding something from Jono?

And could Wudun be a messenger from the land, fighting back against the invasion?

Jono feels like such an authentic character - a teenager on the brink of becoming a man, and struggling with understanding who he is, where he is from, and who he wants to be.

As Jono comes to understand more about the terrifying visions he has been plagued with, and why he has been having them, we learn more about the impact of mining on sacred country and the Indigenous connection to country.

As readers we are both entertained and educated - and that makes this a truly remarkable debut novel.

Thanks to the publisher for the review copy of this book

[ALPHAreader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full-disclosure; Graham is one of the authors I represent as literary agent.

So with that grain of salt, here's my endorsement;

Borderland's brilliance lies in the trick of horror and dystopian tales; to take a fun-house mirror version of our world and see the distortion glaring back at us. A sinister, clever, and unsettlingly horrorful tale precisely because its set-up is a story we recognise ... Graham is a fresh new voice in Aussie YA, a bold and necessary storyteller for this generation of engaged readers.

Graham Akhurst is exactly the kind of Aussie YA creator I was looking for when I first became a literary agent. An author to shake up LoveOzYA's genre-foundations while diversifying the books landscape at the same time. The horror genre is constantly being embraced, reframed, and rebooted again and again precisely because it speaks to the wild fear and adrenaline of being human during an uncertain century. And Indigenous horror is undoubtedly leading the way - from Warwick Thornton's Firebite, to Ryan Griffen's Cleverman TV series, and Mykaela Saunders This All Come Back Now: An anthology of First Nations speculative fiction. Graham's Borderland is adding to this fascinating conversation happening, and that he's speaking directly to young people who are embracing genre and horror, in a similar resurgence we've seen happen in the 70s, 80 and 90s is electrifying. Graham is a singular talent - a poet who has written an eco-thriller dystopian horror in order to sneak big conversations into the zeitgeist, and with the School Strike for Climate generation - it's thrilling to read, and an honour to be apart of.

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jono, a First Nations teenager, is just trying to make it through his days as a student at APAC performing arts school. Not sure what he actually wants from his life and also not sure where he fits or even who he truly is. He doesn’t fit with those in the world around him, feeling like a fraud for not knowing where his country or or who his mob are, not to mention his increasingly bizarre hallucinations about a odd humanoid dog monster that seems to be stalking him. While taking an acting gig that puts Jono on country help, or will it just get exponentially worse?!

This book made me feel a lot of things. Australia has a dark history around the treatment the original custodians of this land. And one of the atrocities that occurred was the Stolen Generation, in which First Nations’ children were taken from their families and placed in missions or with white families. During this time a lot of children lost contact with their families and their connection to country and as such an integral part of their identity.

This book focuses on a teenager who is experiencing the ramifications of the Stolen Generation and as such isn’t certain of who is mob is or where his country is. He doesn’t seem to fit at the rich mostly white high school he attends and then again doesn’t fit within the Aboriginal performing arts school after high school. He is stuck in a sort of limbo.
It’s deeply moving as the reader to watch along side Jono as he struggles to find his place in the world.

I think my only gripe about this book is that it takes a while to get the bottom of the mystery plaguing Jono and then it all wraps up over 15 or so pages. I just wanted more!!

[Carolyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

YA story that I m pushing into historical fiction

I wish this story carried more depth and I feel dreadful in saying that and I am sure the author is reading all these reviews and I am coming across disparaging. I say this as many of my friends were/are indigenous and the bullying scenes in this story bought back horrific memories for me as did other topics so much in fact I had to have a break from the story to compose myself

I also found the story rushed however keeping in my it is YA

If the author is reading this I hope your editor can wholly support you more as you are very talented and have important stories to share and we all know Australia can do with further education (awake up call) I honestly don’t what will make this occur but this book will open the eyes for many people

I have so many memories coming to life again because of this book and for an author to pull out trauma from long ago which is arisen for empathy in a character in a book that is talent

[Luca Belle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jono is a warm and relatable protagonist who draws readers in as he heads out bush to film a government doco on mining—and unexpectedly lands his first acting role. His journey is both funny and moving, making this an ideal read for younger audiences.

I especially appreciated Akhurst’s use of fictional Dreaming stories, which added rich layers of culture and imagination. Jenny was a standout—her joke about "dancing possum time" perfectly called out the tokenism often found in schools and had me laughing. Tabitha really grew on me as the story progressed. And Mick? Couldn’t stand him.

The book ends on a cliffhanger, so I’m absolutely hoping for a sequel!

[Tee · Rating 1 out of 5]

It’s rare to come across a book where the writing actively detracts from the experience, but this one manages to do just that. The prose is clunky, riddled with awkward phrasing, and devoid of any finesse. It reads more like a first draft hastily thrown together than a polished novel. The characters feel one-dimensional, the dialogue is stiff and unnatural, and the plot lacks any meaningful development. Overall, the author’s lack of skill in crafting compelling prose or engaging storytelling makes this book a chore to get through

[Suzy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a great YA read, with lots of action and some interesting fantasy elements. It incorporated a lot of information on First Nations cultures and identity too, which made it stand out. Graham Akhurst has said he wrote this book to encourage teenage boys to read and to be excited about books, so I am not the target demographic but I still really enjoyed it and will recommend it to teenage readers.

[Duchesne Markham · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book so much. I especially liked the way it described racism so simply in what may have been well-intentioned situations and learnt a lot from reading the perspective of the main character in those moments. I thought the characters were relatable and the dog man stuff was reminiscent of books I read when I was young. A very easy read and it made me think about Indigenous affairs in a new way.

[Chris Klitzing · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book that could only have been written by an Aboriginal man.
I had great experience working with Indigenous Australians in the Pilbara and the also learnt that interesting things can happen on country. That was an unforgettable experience and this book put me right back there
A book well worth reading
😊😊

[lila ds · Rating 4 out of 5]

i really loved the depth and detail of the dreaming stories in the book. ofc they are from the authors imagination but i really liked how the plot was connected and influenced by these stories. there were many different issues covered in the book and i loved how many experiences were represented

[Felicity · Rating 3 out of 5]

The ending was abrupt. It was really good. Jono had connected to his land. Need a second book to see if he tells him mum. Jenny is told she isn't actually a balckfella. It was a really good book in my opinion. Wouldn't read again but it was good

[Katrin Schmidt · Rating 4 out of 5]

🎧 ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5


I felt intimidated by the book when I first heard about it as connecting the 'past, present and future' is usually difficult to do and dreamtime stories are hard for me to grasp but I loved how this book intertwined modern Australia with its origin, history  and country.

[Kasey]

Update 3/27/22:
I'm so ready for this book! I cannot wait to read it!

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thrilling YA novel with some serious themes around identity and environment. An absolutely brilliant read.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

https://www.artshub.com.au/news/revie...

[Monica]

Indigenous; land rights/usage/mining; Wudun/Dreaming; accidental-false claim to Aboriginality; Echoes of stolen gen