Loreless

by P.J. Whittlesea

Are you ready for different kind of road trip?

Sometimes, it’s impossible to get home.

Especially if home is not where you think it is.

Aboriginal urbanite Billy doesn’t know much about his heritage and he’s quite content to let it stay that way.

One late night out changes all that.

On the eve of his wedding day and through bizarre circumstances, Billy finds himself marooned on an outback highway in central Australia. With only the stars and mosquitoes for company, he begins to regret trusting his friends with his wellbeing.

Armed with a dogged desire to get home and watched-over by the mysterious Pidgin he discovers the lore he never thought he’d lost.

This dazzling account of an Aboriginal man coming to terms with his heritage, is a refreshing and convincing antidote to all the usual interpretations of this wonderful culture. It has a sweep and ambition that is rare.

Packaged in an adventure story rich with jewels of anecdotes and insight, Loreless is as enlightening as it as enthralling.

Beautiful, confrontational and ultimately uplifting, this is a story which is intimate and universal all at once.

262 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 13, 2016

About the author

P. J. Whittlesea is an author, blogger and singer-songwriter. Originally from Australia, he now lives in Amsterdam in The Netherlands.

His debut novel, LORELESS, released in July 2016, has been nominated for two Australian literature awards.

Upon completion of LORELESS, his children asked him to write something for them. His vivid imagination invented a witch with a twist. What began as a short story, developed into a full series of books which are not strictly only for children.

Books in the Anaïs Blue series:
THE CITY OF SHADES: Anaïs Blue Prequel
THISTLE WITCH: Anaïs Blue Book 1
DISCOVERING MAGIC: Anaïs Blue Book 2
A NEW SOURCE OF MAGIC: Anaïs Blue Book 3
A WITCH’S CALLING: Anaïs Blue Book 4
MAGIC AWAKES: Anaïs Blue Book 5

(Join the author's tribe of avid readers via his website and download your copy of the prequel to the series for free)

Out now:
BLIND SHIPMENT
The first book in a new thriller series about psychic detective Kurt Killan.

Visit him online and follow his writer's journey at PJWhittlesea.com, on twitter @PJWhittlesea, pinterest.com/pjwhittlesea and facebook.com/pjwhittlesea

Reviews

[Brenda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Billy woke to find he’d been curled tight in a seat at the rear of a bus – the bus was stationary and empty of people. His bleary vision showed a roadhouse which he decided he needed to visit as his bladder needed relief. But when Billy exited the rest rooms, it was to see the bus heading off in the distance, its taillights fading in the darkness. Billy was alone in the middle of nowhere – he had no idea where he was; he also knew his hangover was fierce. And the departure of the roadhouse’s only occupant sent his spirits further into decline.

Wondering what he would do, Billy was surprised to see a figure standing on the opposite side of the road; but as he ventured near, the person raised a hand to stop Billy. The huge rush of wind from a passing road train shocked Billy to his core. The vehicle following some time later stopped however – and Billy met Rob and Tex – two men who would be instrumental in the change which was to come into Billy’s life.

As Billy grappled with what was happening to him, Rob and Tex took him to their community. It seemed they were in the outback, somewhere near Alice Springs. How he had come to travel so far from Adelaide was a mystery to him. Billy’s encounters with the enigmatic Pidgin, the Aboriginal elders and other members of the friendly community confused Billy. He’d had no idea he was so lost – but what he was being shown made him wish he knew more about his own Aboriginal heritage…

Loreless by Aussie author P.J. Whittlesea is a novel of discovery by a young Aboriginal man who had lived in the city for longer than he cared to remember. As he tried to work out how to get back to the city he’d come from, other forces were at work in getting him to stay.

Though I did find the telling of Loreless to be a little stilted and jerky, with the flow of the story uneven at times, it is an interesting and intriguing telling and one which I recommend.

With thanks to the author for this digital copy to read in exchange for my honest review.

[Bandit · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked the cover, the title, the concept. The execution, though, left much to be desired. The story is a very straight forward narrative of a young part Aborigines man who, after getting much too drunk before his wedding, wakes up to find himself in a small native village and gets an opportunity to reestablish his connection with his hereditary origins via some friendly locals and a spirit guide. While I was looking forward to learning more about the Australian indigenous culture from historical and anthropological perspectives, this book didn't really offer that or, at least, not much of it, concentrating instead on a very heavy handed morality tale that, although very well intended, came across jejune in every aspect, from overly plain writing to overly simplified pathos. The book comes across very young, much like its protagonist, though the author isn't, the lack of maturity and dimensionality seems either a choice or an ability limitation. It is perfectly readable and even mildly entertaining story, but not much more than that. An entirely all too mild exploration of what might have, should have really been a fascinating subject. One sitting quick afternoon thing soon to be forgotten. Thanks Netgalley.

[Helen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the story of Billy, a young man who is abandoned by his friends on his stag night in the middle of nowhere. Waking up in a strange place, with no memory of how he got there, little does he know that his life is about to completely change. As Billy embarks on his journey of self-discovery, rejecting his comfortable city life and everything he has ever known for a small community in the dry Australian bush, his self-doubts are replaced by a fierce pride of his Aboriginal roots and knowledge of his place in the world.
Loreless is more than just a story, though. This book leads the reader through the violent events that have shaped Aborigine history in Australia over the last two centuries, with a breath-taking narrative that will move your soul. The story is broken up by several flashbacks that are relevant to the story and Billy's past. Each one goes further back in time, showing how the arrival of white settlers disturbed the Aborigines' natural balance of life. These flashbacks are incredibly vivid, with haunting images that leave you wanting to know more, but also feeling devastated by the suffering of these people.
This book leaves you with a sense of sadness at the things human beings do to each other, but also with a glimmer of hope for the future, that in generations to come the natural balance may one day be restored. I would recommend everyone reads this, if only to learn from our past and make sure that these things never happen again.

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Billy wakes up to find himself hungover and curled up in a tight ball at the back of a bus with his right cheek stuck to the vinyl seat. He untangles himself and steps off the bus to discover that he is in a desert far, far away from everything familiar to him. He is aware that he needs to get home, but soon he is to discover that he no longer knows where home is.......

To say that I loved this book is an understatement. It was unlike any book that I've ever read. An adventure story with elements of mysticism and self-discovery mixed with aboriginal culture on a backdrop of the red sands of Alice Springs, Australia. As the book progressed, the writing just kept getting better and better.

I would challenge anyone not to love this book as much as I did. Just wonderful.

Many thanks to Netgalley for providing me with this ARC, for which I have given a voluntary and unbiased review.

[Melanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loreless held such promise. The setting, Australia’s outback, is certainly unique, particularly as seen through indigenous eyes -- at least in terms of the chief protagonist’s DNA, if not upbringing. The author does a good job of conveying a sense of place. Whittlesea has chosen a pivotal moment for introducing Billy: on the eve of his wedding, when Fate suddenly hurtles him down a completely different life path and starts him on a quest for self-discovery. This quest is ingeniously enhanced by encounters with an apparent spirit guide and by sudden time shifts, exploring Billy’s ancestral history (although sometimes I wondered if were experiencing his earlier incarnations?). But … all that the promise doesn’t quite deliver, at least not for this reader. Deeper character development might have helped. We never get to know Billy very well. His reaction to waking up in the outback, so far away from anything familiar, struck me as shallow. And later, his ability (as an urban accountant!) to adapt to a ruggedly rural lifestyle seemed facile. As someone who chucked the city for the remote countryside, I know just how difficult, albeit ultimately rewarding, the adjustment is. Perhaps we’re supposed to conclude that Billy’s ancestral roots kicked in? Well, maybe, but it would have been nice to witness the transformation, the struggle to hold on to the familiar, while feeling the tug of other influences. Other characters disappointed, as well, especially the nice guy who turns rapist, apparently thanks to demon rum. We never saw enough of his personality to understand the transformation, the main purpose of which was to segue into a lecture on aboriginal justice. (I’m not convinced Mabel, the rapist’s victim, would have considered justice served.) This “lecture” is one of several instances when a character or the omniscient narrator commits the cardinal sin of “telling” instead of “showing.” Despite my overall disappointment, I opted for three stars, instead of two, because of the author’s overall thematic creativity and his obvious knowledge of Australia’s indigenous culture.

I received a free copy of Loreless from the publisher via NetGalley, in return for an honest review.

[Justin Bohardt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Five stars

Loreless might be Australia specific but the issues of colonialism, traditions versus modernity, and the struggles of maintaining cultural identity in a homogenized world are universal enough that anyone can settle comfortably into this story. A straight up piece of literary fiction with a hint of spirituality or magical realism, Loreless is a simply beautiful story of a man who is struggling to understand his place in the world. It is well written, well paced and has a wonderful sense of history. Not knowing much about Australian history and the conflicts there, this novel not only does a good job of transporting you there, but makes me want to learn more.

[Margaret · Rating 5 out of 5]

Touching The Past and Present in Australia

P. J. Whittle sea takes us along on a journey of one man into his unknown birthright and his personal lore in "Loreless". He is of Aboriginal descent but knows nothing of his family's history. He is a young man totally ungrounded with no meaning to his life that he can discern. By chance he falls into an isolated community where he encounters his totem and is befriended by others of similar descent. This is a touching book telling his story and the story of his ancestors. Provides the reader an insight into a little known or understood people from the Outback.

[J.D. DeHart · Rating 5 out of 5]

A focused and clear novel that is also an enjoyable read. I will read more works by this author. Recommended as a brisk fictional book.

[Floor Buschenhenke · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this debut novel, especially for the glimpses into a culture very foreign to me. Whittlesea is a good storyteller, Loreless managed to hold my attention all the way to the end, even though his writing style could be a bit more polished. I think the theme of looking for your roots and integrating the ways of the old with modern life is quite relevant to many people today.