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Daughter of Bad Times
A suspenseful, truthful and compelling novel from the critically acclaimed author of The Roving Party.
'What better pitch than helping the refugees of the world? Who doesn't want to help refugees, right? The five Australian facilities are immigration detention centres, sure, but they're also manufacturing plants. That means two revenue streams for one facility. And we also clean up our image. We're not just a corrections company anymore-now, we're building communities, we're saving lives.'
Rin Braden is almost ready to give up on life after the heartbreaking death of her lover Yamaan and the everyday dread of working for her mother's corrupt private prison company. But through a miracle Yamaan has survived.
Yamaan turns up in an immigration detention facility in Australia, trading his labour for a supposedly safe place to live. This is no ordinary facility, it's Eaglehawk MTC, a manufactory built by her mother's company to exploit the flood of environmental refugees.
Now Rin must find a way to free Yamaan before the ghosts of her past and a string of bad choices catch up with them both.
In its vision of the future, Daughter of Bad Times explores the truth about a growing inhumanity as profit becomes the priority.
'What better pitch than helping the refugees of the world? Who doesn't want to help refugees, right? The five Australian facilities are immigration detention centres, sure, but they're also manufacturing plants. That means two revenue streams for one facility. And we also clean up our image. We're not just a corrections company anymore-now, we're building communities, we're saving lives.'
Rin Braden is almost ready to give up on life after the heartbreaking death of her lover Yamaan and the everyday dread of working for her mother's corrupt private prison company. But through a miracle Yamaan has survived.
Yamaan turns up in an immigration detention facility in Australia, trading his labour for a supposedly safe place to live. This is no ordinary facility, it's Eaglehawk MTC, a manufactory built by her mother's company to exploit the flood of environmental refugees.
Now Rin must find a way to free Yamaan before the ghosts of her past and a string of bad choices catch up with them both.
In its vision of the future, Daughter of Bad Times explores the truth about a growing inhumanity as profit becomes the priority.
336 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2019
9 people are currently reading
219 people want to read
About the author
Rohan Wilson
7 books38 followersRohan Wilson lived a long, mostly lonely, life until a lucky turn of events led him to take up a teaching position in Japan where he met his wife. They have a son who loves books, as all children should. They live in Launceston but don't know why.
Rohan holds degrees and diplomas from the universities of Tasmania, Southern Queensland and Melbourne. The Roving Party is his first book. He can be found on Twitter: @rohan_wilson.
Rohan holds degrees and diplomas from the universities of Tasmania, Southern Queensland and Melbourne. The Roving Party is his first book. He can be found on Twitter: @rohan_wilson.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews
May 5, 2023
Thematically covering subjects that are of concern now, refugees, global warming and corruption at a governmental level mixed with crony capitalism. It is also very multicultural with events told in a world 50 odd years into the future. This should have been made for a good read at a minimum but I have been very disappointed.
The story is told in the first person alternately by the two main protagonists, female Rin and male Yamaan. I found myself thinking that the story Rin told, that of a mid-twenties orphan rising to the heights in a corrupt multinational to the point she could bring the entire company to its knees, all a bit farfetched. Because of her feeling angry that her stepmother had lied to her about her birth mother and then adding to that the stepmother pathetically losing the plot over Rin having sex with the house boy, Yamaan, it was hard to take seriously. Sci Fi can pull off all kind of sleight of hand by the writer, but it does have to have some semblance of realism. Rin, was a character far too immature for my liking; with that, I could never imagine one so young being given such free rein in a multinational corporation that had its corrupt tentacles in the use of refugee facilities as prison camps worldwide to make exorbitant profit at the expanse of the helpless. Its ideas were very good, but characters and plot were too shallow.
I did laugh though that the Premier of Tasmania at this time in the future is one James Abetz, Tasmanian, and some mainland Australia readers, will get a chuckle out of that.
Author Rohan Wilson first two very good novels were about colonial era Van Diemen's Land and were highly acclaimed by both critics and the public. So when it was announced that he was spreading his wings with a sci fi novel I was looking forward to it. I loved his first 2 novels, they both verged on outstanding. This one failed for this reader.
The story is told in the first person alternately by the two main protagonists, female Rin and male Yamaan. I found myself thinking that the story Rin told, that of a mid-twenties orphan rising to the heights in a corrupt multinational to the point she could bring the entire company to its knees, all a bit farfetched. Because of her feeling angry that her stepmother had lied to her about her birth mother and then adding to that the stepmother pathetically losing the plot over Rin having sex with the house boy, Yamaan, it was hard to take seriously. Sci Fi can pull off all kind of sleight of hand by the writer, but it does have to have some semblance of realism. Rin, was a character far too immature for my liking; with that, I could never imagine one so young being given such free rein in a multinational corporation that had its corrupt tentacles in the use of refugee facilities as prison camps worldwide to make exorbitant profit at the expanse of the helpless. Its ideas were very good, but characters and plot were too shallow.
I did laugh though that the Premier of Tasmania at this time in the future is one James Abetz, Tasmanian, and some mainland Australia readers, will get a chuckle out of that.
Author Rohan Wilson first two very good novels were about colonial era Van Diemen's Land and were highly acclaimed by both critics and the public. So when it was announced that he was spreading his wings with a sci fi novel I was looking forward to it. I loved his first 2 novels, they both verged on outstanding. This one failed for this reader.
May 20, 2019
4.5★s
Daughter of Bad Times is the third novel by award-winning Australian author, Rohan Wilson. It’s 2074, sea levels have risen and refugees are no longer pariah, but actively sought. Cabey-Yasuda Corrections is a global company that “employs” refugees in their manufacturing plants, one of which, situated on the Eaglehawk Peninsula in Tasmania, uses the survivors of the tsunami that submerged the Maldives. CYC’s CEO is Alessandra Braden.
One of those survivors is Yamaan Ali Umair, formerly cook/houseboy at the Braden’s Feydhoo Finolhu beach house until his employment was terminated just weeks before the tsunami. Significantly, he was also the lover of Alessandra’s twenty-six-year-old daughter, Rin. Heartbroken in her belief that Yamaan perished, Rin finally discovers his whereabouts, and is determined to bring him home. Of course, no Maldives means Yamaan has no home. And as she learns the truth about her own childhood, Rin begins to wonder whether she truly has one either.
With her authority as CYC’s Executive Vice President Government Relations, Rin believes that getting Yamaan out of Eaglehawk Migrant Training Centre will be a fairly straight-forward proposition, but it turns out to be more complicated. When she arrives at Eaglehawk MTC, she finds that Yamaan is reluctant, after the tenor of their last parting, to accompany her; further to that, the rules governing the status of these environmental refugees have changed. Alessandra is less than sympathetic, but Rin will not let this lie: she will break the law if she has to.
Wilson easily conveys a near-future world that is technologically more advanced but well within the realms of possibility. Certainly, the environmental crisis he describes requires no stretch of the imagination. As well as narratives and flashbacks from Rin and Yamaan, Wilson uses press releases, transcripts of Royal Commission proceedings and a police interview, emails, letters and media interviews to fill in the story.
His protagonists have depth and interest: Rin Braden initially comes across as spoilt and self-centred perhaps partly a product of her age, but ultimately proves single-mindedly resolute, while Yamaan is full of integrity at the cost of his own comfort and safety. Alessandra Braden has fearful reputation with her staff and, while she professes to love Rin, most of her actions belie a soft side.
Wilson’ descriptive prose is excellent and the dramatic action leading to the climax would translate particularly well to the screen. This is an enthralling and thought-provoking read.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by Allen & Unwin.
Daughter of Bad Times is the third novel by award-winning Australian author, Rohan Wilson. It’s 2074, sea levels have risen and refugees are no longer pariah, but actively sought. Cabey-Yasuda Corrections is a global company that “employs” refugees in their manufacturing plants, one of which, situated on the Eaglehawk Peninsula in Tasmania, uses the survivors of the tsunami that submerged the Maldives. CYC’s CEO is Alessandra Braden.
One of those survivors is Yamaan Ali Umair, formerly cook/houseboy at the Braden’s Feydhoo Finolhu beach house until his employment was terminated just weeks before the tsunami. Significantly, he was also the lover of Alessandra’s twenty-six-year-old daughter, Rin. Heartbroken in her belief that Yamaan perished, Rin finally discovers his whereabouts, and is determined to bring him home. Of course, no Maldives means Yamaan has no home. And as she learns the truth about her own childhood, Rin begins to wonder whether she truly has one either.
With her authority as CYC’s Executive Vice President Government Relations, Rin believes that getting Yamaan out of Eaglehawk Migrant Training Centre will be a fairly straight-forward proposition, but it turns out to be more complicated. When she arrives at Eaglehawk MTC, she finds that Yamaan is reluctant, after the tenor of their last parting, to accompany her; further to that, the rules governing the status of these environmental refugees have changed. Alessandra is less than sympathetic, but Rin will not let this lie: she will break the law if she has to.
Wilson easily conveys a near-future world that is technologically more advanced but well within the realms of possibility. Certainly, the environmental crisis he describes requires no stretch of the imagination. As well as narratives and flashbacks from Rin and Yamaan, Wilson uses press releases, transcripts of Royal Commission proceedings and a police interview, emails, letters and media interviews to fill in the story.
His protagonists have depth and interest: Rin Braden initially comes across as spoilt and self-centred perhaps partly a product of her age, but ultimately proves single-mindedly resolute, while Yamaan is full of integrity at the cost of his own comfort and safety. Alessandra Braden has fearful reputation with her staff and, while she professes to love Rin, most of her actions belie a soft side.
Wilson’ descriptive prose is excellent and the dramatic action leading to the climax would translate particularly well to the screen. This is an enthralling and thought-provoking read.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by Allen & Unwin.
Read
February 15, 2019'It's impossible not to consider, as you read Daughter of Bad Times, that everything in 2075 is already here now and we are doing nothing to stop it. An utterly compelling vision by one of our finest writers.' Heather Rose, bestselling author of The Museum of Modern Love
June 27, 2019
*https://mrsbbookreviews.wordpress.com
“This book, Daughter of Bad Times, emerges from the need to understand what we face in order that we might change it.”
Rohan Wilson, author of Daughter of Bad Times
There is a lot of thought and meaning that goes into a title for a book. In the case of Daughter of Bad Times written by Australian author Rohan Wilson, this book is offers a pessimistic commentary on a dystopian world. It is a warning of very possible times to come if we surrender ourselves to big business, economic control, politics and the class system. The tone of this book is both contemplative and resistant, revealing a very real world in the face of crisis from the impact of climate change.
Rin Braden the “daughter” of this tale by Rohan Wilson dictates the events of this truthful novel. Rin is torn woman, tormented by the loss of her lover, Yamaan, and the relentless grind of working within the walls of her mother’s privately operated prison company. But, in a twist of fate, Yaaman has managed to survive and he crops up at one of Australia’s detention epicentres. Rin, in discovering her lover is indeed alive, must summon all the resources she can in order to set Yaaman free. However, the two have plenty to contend with from the echoes of the past and a series of ill fated choices. In taking a journey with this novel, the reader is exposed to a world when humankind is open to a new level of barbarism. Daughter of Bad Times a confronting novel from one of Australia’s critically acclaimed authors.
Daughter of Bad Times is the first book I have read by Rohan Wilson, an author who has a whole host of Australian literary awards under his belt. Daughter of Bad Times is a very different style of book to his award winning novel, The Roving Party. It is a brave and almost scathing attack on Australian society and the world at large, exposing the possibility of a global community overrun by profiteering big business. Exploiting those who are displaced due to climate change, which has seen whole countries and islands consumed, corporations have taken advantage of the vulnerable status of these refugees. They have provided shelter for these citizens of various locales around the world, but in doing so, they expect labour in return and they restrict their freedom. There appears to be no escape. The situation is dire and heartbreaking, as a well as terrifyingly real!
Our guide through the events of this compelling tale is Rin Braden, a woman who begins to question the status quo, once she discovers what has happened to her lover. It is an interesting journey to follow, although I did feel like I was never truly able to understand Rin. She seemed to keep her distance, but some of the other characters in this novel, such as her lover appear with greater clarity. Rin and Yamaan’s relationship is definitely complex and I did find the whole experience quite hard going. Interspersed between the block narrative involving Rin, are relevant interview transcripts, court riot proceeding transcripts, email communications, media releases, media responses and letters. All these mediums work to build the layers of this story frame.
The world, including Australia, is represented in a vivid dystopian picture thanks to the prose handed over by Rohan Wilson. It was almost nightmarish, imagining how the possibility of this society could very easily arise. There was a strong visual quality to the scenes depicted in Daughter of Bad Times and I could see this book transferring to the screen quite well. There are some heavy themes covered within the novel, from homelessness, refugee treatment, policy, politics, class, wealth distribution, injustice, inequality and extortion. This really is just the tip of the iceberg! It did feel a quite overwhelming at times to contemplate all these factors playing into a dystopian world that could very easily creep up on us.
Daughter of Bad Times is almost an omen of sorts, suggesting the rise of a society that we could easily face if we do not think critically and interrogate the issue of climate change, world economics and our treatment of refugees across the globe. With a rich character study and a strong relationship focus on two lovers planted in this dystopian world, Rohan Wilson has presented his readers with a compelling case to lobby for change. I found Daughter of Bad Times difficult terrain to attack, but nevertheless, it is stark piece of literature that I am sure will hold weight with interested readers of dystopian or political based texts.
*Thanks extended to Allen & Unwin for providing a free copy of this book for review purposes.
*Book #6 of the 2019 Aussie male author challenge.
“This book, Daughter of Bad Times, emerges from the need to understand what we face in order that we might change it.”
Rohan Wilson, author of Daughter of Bad Times
There is a lot of thought and meaning that goes into a title for a book. In the case of Daughter of Bad Times written by Australian author Rohan Wilson, this book is offers a pessimistic commentary on a dystopian world. It is a warning of very possible times to come if we surrender ourselves to big business, economic control, politics and the class system. The tone of this book is both contemplative and resistant, revealing a very real world in the face of crisis from the impact of climate change.
Rin Braden the “daughter” of this tale by Rohan Wilson dictates the events of this truthful novel. Rin is torn woman, tormented by the loss of her lover, Yamaan, and the relentless grind of working within the walls of her mother’s privately operated prison company. But, in a twist of fate, Yaaman has managed to survive and he crops up at one of Australia’s detention epicentres. Rin, in discovering her lover is indeed alive, must summon all the resources she can in order to set Yaaman free. However, the two have plenty to contend with from the echoes of the past and a series of ill fated choices. In taking a journey with this novel, the reader is exposed to a world when humankind is open to a new level of barbarism. Daughter of Bad Times a confronting novel from one of Australia’s critically acclaimed authors.
Daughter of Bad Times is the first book I have read by Rohan Wilson, an author who has a whole host of Australian literary awards under his belt. Daughter of Bad Times is a very different style of book to his award winning novel, The Roving Party. It is a brave and almost scathing attack on Australian society and the world at large, exposing the possibility of a global community overrun by profiteering big business. Exploiting those who are displaced due to climate change, which has seen whole countries and islands consumed, corporations have taken advantage of the vulnerable status of these refugees. They have provided shelter for these citizens of various locales around the world, but in doing so, they expect labour in return and they restrict their freedom. There appears to be no escape. The situation is dire and heartbreaking, as a well as terrifyingly real!
Our guide through the events of this compelling tale is Rin Braden, a woman who begins to question the status quo, once she discovers what has happened to her lover. It is an interesting journey to follow, although I did feel like I was never truly able to understand Rin. She seemed to keep her distance, but some of the other characters in this novel, such as her lover appear with greater clarity. Rin and Yamaan’s relationship is definitely complex and I did find the whole experience quite hard going. Interspersed between the block narrative involving Rin, are relevant interview transcripts, court riot proceeding transcripts, email communications, media releases, media responses and letters. All these mediums work to build the layers of this story frame.
The world, including Australia, is represented in a vivid dystopian picture thanks to the prose handed over by Rohan Wilson. It was almost nightmarish, imagining how the possibility of this society could very easily arise. There was a strong visual quality to the scenes depicted in Daughter of Bad Times and I could see this book transferring to the screen quite well. There are some heavy themes covered within the novel, from homelessness, refugee treatment, policy, politics, class, wealth distribution, injustice, inequality and extortion. This really is just the tip of the iceberg! It did feel a quite overwhelming at times to contemplate all these factors playing into a dystopian world that could very easily creep up on us.
Daughter of Bad Times is almost an omen of sorts, suggesting the rise of a society that we could easily face if we do not think critically and interrogate the issue of climate change, world economics and our treatment of refugees across the globe. With a rich character study and a strong relationship focus on two lovers planted in this dystopian world, Rohan Wilson has presented his readers with a compelling case to lobby for change. I found Daughter of Bad Times difficult terrain to attack, but nevertheless, it is stark piece of literature that I am sure will hold weight with interested readers of dystopian or political based texts.
*Thanks extended to Allen & Unwin for providing a free copy of this book for review purposes.
*Book #6 of the 2019 Aussie male author challenge.
June 27, 2019
‘If you want to remember who you are, you have to live in your mind.’
Like his previous two novels, ‘Daughter of Bad Times’ is set in Tasmania. But this is not the colonial Tasmania of ‘The Roving Party’ or ‘To Name Those Lost’, this is set in the future. A future in which people whose land has vanished under the rising sea levels become environmental refugees. A future in which the Eaglehawk MTC is both an immigration detention centre and a manufacturing plant. In this facility, refugees work. They work to pay off the debt they owe for their travel expenses, relocation, food and housing. And, if they are lucky enough to pay off their debt, perhaps one day they will be granted a visa.
The two main characters in this novel are Rin Braden, whose mother’s company built the Eaglehawk MTC, and Yamaan, her former lover, who is one of the environmental refugees interned there. Rin thought that Yamaan was dead, and she wants to try to free him.
I found this novel very uncomfortable to read. Firstly, because it isn’t hard to envisage a flood of environmental refugees at some stage soon and secondly, because it isn’t difficult to imagine such refugees being exploited and dehumanised. Not difficult at all.
For much of the novel, Rin Braden comes across as a spoilt rich child. She has manipulated Yamaan in the past, and her interest in freeing him seems to be motivated by her desire rather than his needs. But Rin is a little more complex than that. I found Yamaan much easier to understand.
What held my attention throughout this uncomfortable read was not so much the characters as the situation. Yes, I can envisage a private company running detention facilities focussed on profit. Yes, I can envisage a cynical government enabling such a model, knowing that those seeking refuge will never be able to pay off their debt to secure a visa. And yes, I can imagine such a government changing the rules so that a visa moves from being a remote possibility to the realms of absolute impossibility. And how better to reinforce the imbalance of power than to have people doing work which is usually computerised?
Rin wants to secure Yamaan’s release, but she cannot pay his debt. Only he can do that. So Rin decides to take matters into her own hands.
I finished this novel profoundly unsettled. The Eaglehawk MTC is a scary 21st century version of Port Arthur: environmental refugees have replaced transported convicts but have even less hope.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
Like his previous two novels, ‘Daughter of Bad Times’ is set in Tasmania. But this is not the colonial Tasmania of ‘The Roving Party’ or ‘To Name Those Lost’, this is set in the future. A future in which people whose land has vanished under the rising sea levels become environmental refugees. A future in which the Eaglehawk MTC is both an immigration detention centre and a manufacturing plant. In this facility, refugees work. They work to pay off the debt they owe for their travel expenses, relocation, food and housing. And, if they are lucky enough to pay off their debt, perhaps one day they will be granted a visa.
The two main characters in this novel are Rin Braden, whose mother’s company built the Eaglehawk MTC, and Yamaan, her former lover, who is one of the environmental refugees interned there. Rin thought that Yamaan was dead, and she wants to try to free him.
I found this novel very uncomfortable to read. Firstly, because it isn’t hard to envisage a flood of environmental refugees at some stage soon and secondly, because it isn’t difficult to imagine such refugees being exploited and dehumanised. Not difficult at all.
For much of the novel, Rin Braden comes across as a spoilt rich child. She has manipulated Yamaan in the past, and her interest in freeing him seems to be motivated by her desire rather than his needs. But Rin is a little more complex than that. I found Yamaan much easier to understand.
What held my attention throughout this uncomfortable read was not so much the characters as the situation. Yes, I can envisage a private company running detention facilities focussed on profit. Yes, I can envisage a cynical government enabling such a model, knowing that those seeking refuge will never be able to pay off their debt to secure a visa. And yes, I can imagine such a government changing the rules so that a visa moves from being a remote possibility to the realms of absolute impossibility. And how better to reinforce the imbalance of power than to have people doing work which is usually computerised?
Rin wants to secure Yamaan’s release, but she cannot pay his debt. Only he can do that. So Rin decides to take matters into her own hands.
I finished this novel profoundly unsettled. The Eaglehawk MTC is a scary 21st century version of Port Arthur: environmental refugees have replaced transported convicts but have even less hope.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
April 2, 2019
3 1/2 stars. A tense, fast paced novel set in a not to distant future but very much reflecting issues that are already circling our present. Climate change, environmental refugees, corporate influence on government and online privacy control are all tied up in a high stakes drama.
While the personal relationship between Rin and Yamaan is at the heart of this novel, and as two individuals I found both their characters and backgrounds compelling, I did find that their relationship really clouded my thoughts as to their true motivations. I wanted to believe that their motivations were fundamentally for humanity and not just each other. I’m also not really convinced how Holland would have ended up in this refugee facility.
A thought provoking novel about corporate greed and the plight of environmental refugees.
Thanks to A&U for an advance copy.
While the personal relationship between Rin and Yamaan is at the heart of this novel, and as two individuals I found both their characters and backgrounds compelling, I did find that their relationship really clouded my thoughts as to their true motivations. I wanted to believe that their motivations were fundamentally for humanity and not just each other. I’m also not really convinced how Holland would have ended up in this refugee facility.
A thought provoking novel about corporate greed and the plight of environmental refugees.
Thanks to A&U for an advance copy.
March 21, 2019
I really enjoyed this book. It examines a number of current issues that we face in society today - the treatment and exploitation of refugees, the effects of global warming, the privatisation of prisons, international adoption - but is set in the not too distant future of the 2070s.
The world Wilson has created is not too dissimilar to our current one. In the 2070s, technology has advanced, but in a way that seems completely plausible to the reader; interactive glasses have replaced mobile phones, land-based drones are used in crowd control, etc. The effects of global warming have wreaked havoc on the world and rising sea levels have completely engulfed a number of low-lying island nations, leaving hundreds of thousands of environmental refugees behind. It's a cross between a Black Mirror episode and the movie, The Day After Tomorrow, and I can easily picture our world in the same disastrous position in 50 years' time.
Wilson's writing was engrossing and the story fast-paced, except during some of Yamaan and Rin's philosophical moments, which I found a bit slow. Would definitely recommend.
Thanks to Allen & Unwin for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review
The world Wilson has created is not too dissimilar to our current one. In the 2070s, technology has advanced, but in a way that seems completely plausible to the reader; interactive glasses have replaced mobile phones, land-based drones are used in crowd control, etc. The effects of global warming have wreaked havoc on the world and rising sea levels have completely engulfed a number of low-lying island nations, leaving hundreds of thousands of environmental refugees behind. It's a cross between a Black Mirror episode and the movie, The Day After Tomorrow, and I can easily picture our world in the same disastrous position in 50 years' time.
Wilson's writing was engrossing and the story fast-paced, except during some of Yamaan and Rin's philosophical moments, which I found a bit slow. Would definitely recommend.
Thanks to Allen & Unwin for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review
May 15, 2019
Futuristic novels are not my usual reading fodder, but I have to say, Daughter of Bad Times is compelling reading. It’s a view of our world as a place where climate change has led to the disappearance and destruction of many islands, leaving a whole host of environmental refugees. You’d be forgiven for thinking right now that I’ve made a mistake with the ‘futuristic’ bit, but therein lies the novel’s strength. It might be set in 2075, but here in 2019, this is foreseeable. The other main theme running through this story is the concept of refugee facilities as cash cows. Specifically, refugees are lured out of emergency camps with the promise of a new life in a new country in exchange for one year of their life spent in a refugee facility. However, from the moment of agreement, they are charged exorbitant rates for their travel expenses, relocation fees, and upkeep once they are in the facility, rapidly accruing a debt they will never be able to clear. They must work in the facility manufacturing plant to reduce their never-ending debt, assembling junk toys and the like. They have of course been lied to, and have no idea that there is no way they can ever leave, debts can’t even be paid by someone else, because the host country has only agreed to the arrangement on the provision that the refugees remain in the facility, ineligible for visas. Pretty damned awful stuff, but again, chillingly foreseeable.
‘So that’s where the Australian facilities come into the picture Alessandra started looking for a new product, one that had better margins, better growth potential, and a more investor-friendly pitch. What better pitch than helping the refugees of the world? Who doesn’t want to help refugees, right? The five Australian facilities – Wollongong, Ballina, Port Lincoln, Bunbury, and Eaglehawk – are immigration detention centres, sure, but they’re also manufacturing plants. That means two revenue streams for one facility. And we also clean up our image. We’re not just a corrections company anymore – now we’re building communities, we’re saving lives.’
The novel alternates between Yamaan, a refugee in the Eaglehawk facility, located in Tasmania, and Rin, the heir to the throne so to speak – the CEO’s daughter. These two are former lovers. It’s a complicated relationship that I will admit, did nothing for me. I wasn’t convinced by the authenticity of it. To me, when considered from Rin’s perspective, Yamaan came off as Rin’s plaything, a whim on the part of a spoilt rich girl with a poor me syndrome. The relationship seemed entirely based on sex with the power weighted exclusively in Rin’s favour. I think the character of Rin just needed deeper examination. I couldn’t get a bead on her, she was all over the place and sketchy with her loyalties and morals. Even her motivations to save Yamaan were fundamentally selfish – she wanted him out of the facility because she wanted him back in her bed. I had a lot of unanswered questions about her and her behaviour, whereas with Yamaan, he was extremely well fleshed out. I had such a strong sense of who he was and his motivations and morals were clearly apparent. His sections were the ones I enjoyed the most, and the ones which elicited the most empathy within me.
When Rin leaks the truth to the world and the refugees find out, protests swiftly turn into riots. Again, there are eerie shades of truth playing out here. Unfortunately, it was from here on in that Rin’s character really took a nosedive for me. Rin shares some rather scathing thoughts as she arrives at the Eaglehawk facility. Specifically, references likening being in Australia to crawling around the butthole of the world; Australian accents sounding like the honking of a goose; and Aussie’s favouring all that is old fashioned because with a future so ugly we prefer to turn backwards. Hhmm. I’m not a zealot patriot, but these comments came one after the other within half a dozen pages. It repelled me a bit, to be honest, and I don’t feel it added value to the story. We have a lot going on in this country that could be done better, absolutely, but I wouldn’t live anywhere else. Comments like this in a novel written by an Australian author are disappointing.
That aside, Daughter of Bad Times is a solid read, a political thriller that offers readers a futuristic glance at the world we just might be heading towards. It raises questions about human rights and dignity; about catastrophic climate change and displacement; and about the blurring of refugee aide with business principles – a thriller with an alarming undertone. Recommended reading.
‘I was weak and I was wrong and I let them take you when I didn’t want to. That’s the truth. You were the daughter of my bad times and I was too weak to protect you.’
Thanks is extended to Allen and Unwin for providing me with a copy of Daughter of Bad Times for review.
‘So that’s where the Australian facilities come into the picture Alessandra started looking for a new product, one that had better margins, better growth potential, and a more investor-friendly pitch. What better pitch than helping the refugees of the world? Who doesn’t want to help refugees, right? The five Australian facilities – Wollongong, Ballina, Port Lincoln, Bunbury, and Eaglehawk – are immigration detention centres, sure, but they’re also manufacturing plants. That means two revenue streams for one facility. And we also clean up our image. We’re not just a corrections company anymore – now we’re building communities, we’re saving lives.’
The novel alternates between Yamaan, a refugee in the Eaglehawk facility, located in Tasmania, and Rin, the heir to the throne so to speak – the CEO’s daughter. These two are former lovers. It’s a complicated relationship that I will admit, did nothing for me. I wasn’t convinced by the authenticity of it. To me, when considered from Rin’s perspective, Yamaan came off as Rin’s plaything, a whim on the part of a spoilt rich girl with a poor me syndrome. The relationship seemed entirely based on sex with the power weighted exclusively in Rin’s favour. I think the character of Rin just needed deeper examination. I couldn’t get a bead on her, she was all over the place and sketchy with her loyalties and morals. Even her motivations to save Yamaan were fundamentally selfish – she wanted him out of the facility because she wanted him back in her bed. I had a lot of unanswered questions about her and her behaviour, whereas with Yamaan, he was extremely well fleshed out. I had such a strong sense of who he was and his motivations and morals were clearly apparent. His sections were the ones I enjoyed the most, and the ones which elicited the most empathy within me.
When Rin leaks the truth to the world and the refugees find out, protests swiftly turn into riots. Again, there are eerie shades of truth playing out here. Unfortunately, it was from here on in that Rin’s character really took a nosedive for me. Rin shares some rather scathing thoughts as she arrives at the Eaglehawk facility. Specifically, references likening being in Australia to crawling around the butthole of the world; Australian accents sounding like the honking of a goose; and Aussie’s favouring all that is old fashioned because with a future so ugly we prefer to turn backwards. Hhmm. I’m not a zealot patriot, but these comments came one after the other within half a dozen pages. It repelled me a bit, to be honest, and I don’t feel it added value to the story. We have a lot going on in this country that could be done better, absolutely, but I wouldn’t live anywhere else. Comments like this in a novel written by an Australian author are disappointing.
That aside, Daughter of Bad Times is a solid read, a political thriller that offers readers a futuristic glance at the world we just might be heading towards. It raises questions about human rights and dignity; about catastrophic climate change and displacement; and about the blurring of refugee aide with business principles – a thriller with an alarming undertone. Recommended reading.
‘I was weak and I was wrong and I let them take you when I didn’t want to. That’s the truth. You were the daughter of my bad times and I was too weak to protect you.’
Thanks is extended to Allen and Unwin for providing me with a copy of Daughter of Bad Times for review.
April 19, 2019
This is a futuristic story, however it is so close to a believable reality that it's uncomfortable! As a theme I don't usually read I enjoyed the fast paced action and it really swept you along with all those thousands of displaced, "countryless" workers and the world that was thrust upon them. This one will make you think......
April 7, 2019
A gripping, fast-moving story about two people from opposite ends of the world. Rin is the daughter of the CEO of a big private prison company. Yamaan is her housekeeper from the family beach house in the Maldives. But Yamaan ends up inside one of company's facilities after his home is destroyed and he's made into a climate refugee. Rin wants to get him out of the prison but do to it requires some dangerous choices.
The story unfolds in three different timelines -- past, present, and future. Each one overlaps and gives us information about the others. As I read on, I found the history of Rin and Yamaan to be really touching. Their lives are both difficult for different reasons. Rin is a Japanese-American, adopted by her mother, but she still remembers her birth mother in Japan. Yamaan has trouble with his cousin, who wants him to be more religious. The more I learned about them both, the more grew to love them. I wanted to see them find a way to be happy. It's a love story at the end of the day, and that's what made it so compelling. So much happens in the story, and it covers a lot of big issues, but the heart of it is the relationship between Rin and Yamaan.
I should say something about the writing too. I've Rohan's other books and he always has a rich style. It's full of great images and phrases. The dialogue sounds authentic. It's feels true to life because of the way he captures so much detail. It's just a pleasure to read.
Thanks to Allen and Unwin for the advance copy.
The story unfolds in three different timelines -- past, present, and future. Each one overlaps and gives us information about the others. As I read on, I found the history of Rin and Yamaan to be really touching. Their lives are both difficult for different reasons. Rin is a Japanese-American, adopted by her mother, but she still remembers her birth mother in Japan. Yamaan has trouble with his cousin, who wants him to be more religious. The more I learned about them both, the more grew to love them. I wanted to see them find a way to be happy. It's a love story at the end of the day, and that's what made it so compelling. So much happens in the story, and it covers a lot of big issues, but the heart of it is the relationship between Rin and Yamaan.
I should say something about the writing too. I've Rohan's other books and he always has a rich style. It's full of great images and phrases. The dialogue sounds authentic. It's feels true to life because of the way he captures so much detail. It's just a pleasure to read.
Thanks to Allen and Unwin for the advance copy.
January 12, 2025
Daughter of Bad Times is a political thriller set in 2075 in Tasmania, in a private prison that exploits the labour of environmental refugees. This dystopian critique of the world is chillingly foreseeable. It’s also a heart-wrenching love story. As a Tasmanian person, I love reading novels set here, and Rohan Wilson is one of the best writers writing about the apple isle - his language is evocative and atmospheric and brings the settings perfectly to life. This story is compassionate yet gives a sharp commentary on world events, showing how easily humans can convince themselves that doing the wrong thing is right, and how we dehumanise people in order to maintain the status quo. A good book discussion question would be: is this the future, or has it already arrived? How similar are we to the antagonists in the story? What can we do about that? I think we all know we need to do more.
June 15, 2019
A dark speculative fiction set in a dystopian near future. Also a love story. What would you do for love? How many lives would you sacrifice for your own desire? 3.5 stars
August 30, 2019
A powerfully compelling read. The novel is set 50 years from now in a Tasmanian refugee detention centre. I was a bit cautious about its potential for violence. Well it certainly had plenty of it but the plot was just too good to miss, I read on no worries. It’s quite the mix - the search for identity, Islam and its strictures, love between unequals, the relentless drives behind big business, landlessness greatly increased from rising sea levels, and most powerfully of all, those powerless being driven to insurrection.The awful thing is, so much of the horror ahead is faintly familiar, we can see future life is just a development of the present.
July 8, 2019
2075, countries have been wiped out with rising waters. With no other option refugees elect to work in manufacturing plants/detention centres to ensure their survival. Rin Braden, discovers her lover Yaaman (who she believed dead) is incarcerated in a detention centre owned by her mother.
Obviously I am in the minority here but I didn't enjoy this book. It wasn't that the writing was bad but I didn't engage with the characters or find them realistic, particularly Rin. The novel didn't flow for me and although the topic itself is sobering, thought provoking and sad I felt quite disinterested and removed from it all. DNF
Obviously I am in the minority here but I didn't enjoy this book. It wasn't that the writing was bad but I didn't engage with the characters or find them realistic, particularly Rin. The novel didn't flow for me and although the topic itself is sobering, thought provoking and sad I felt quite disinterested and removed from it all. DNF
July 15, 2019
Rohan Wilson is a great historical writer. I loved The Roving Party and so I was looking forward to his new book. Unfortunately it did not live up to expectations. Speculative fiction set in Tasmania - Eaglehawk, in 2075 where a private company operates centres for climate change refugees, forcing them to work as slave labour assembling puerile devices in return for shelter and food and goods at inflated and exorbitant prices. Add to this an ill conceived and unlikely romance between a former Islander houseboy and the adopted daughter of the CEO of the company. A thin plot and under developed characters
July 24, 2019
Rohan Wilson’s newest novel Daughter of Bad Times (Allen and Unwin 2019) is that rarest of literary creations – a page-turning, completely immersive plot combined with a simmering undercurrent of subtext and meaning that delivers a chilling message about our times. This is a book that is well-written in every aspect – taut writing, compelling character development, a thrilling plot, authentic dialogue, imaginative and detailed world-building, and threaded throughout, the exploration of contemporary themes.
Set in 2075, the story is so realistic that it seems prescient rather than merely futuristic. The world has changed, not only through great advances in technology but by the tragic effects of climate change and consequent global events, including an horrific tsunami, which has resulted in whole nations being submerged, and most other countries struggling to keep the sea at bay. The obvious consequence of this is the overwhelming number of stateless refugees – people displaced by natural disasters, with nowhere to call home and no country willing to offer asylum. But with spine-tingling familiarity to our own current tragedy of offshore detention centres, the twin interests of politics and big business have stepped in to profit from others’ misery.
Eaglehawk MTC is a manufactory operated by giant conglomerate Cabey-Yasuda. Situated in Tasmania, the company offers stateless refugees the possibility of a visa to Australia if they participate in a 12-month work commitment. (Sound familiar?) Desperate people, many of them environmental refugees, survivors of the tsunami tragedy that killed their entire families, are willing to believe in anything that offers the faintest glimmer of hope for their future.
Rin Braden, the daughter of the company owner, hates working for the corrupt system of Cabey-Yasuda but feels she has no choice, especially after her depression when she fears that her lover, Yamaan, has been lost to the disaster. But when she learns that Yamann is alive and being held in an immigration detention facility, she is desperate to save him. The choices she makes, however, have dire consequences not only for Yamaan and for Rin’s mother’s company, but for the secrets of Rin’s past that come to light.
The epistolary narrative is interspersed with court transcripts, media reports and letters from subsequent legal investigations after the conclusion of the main story, thus providing the reader insights into the aftermath whilst still being immersed in the action.
What I loved most about this book was its compelling comparison between the hellish vision of the future and the issues we face today. Climate change, refugees, wealth disparity, vanishing resources, the privatisation of services, the collection and use of personal data – all of these things are happening in today’s world. Rohan Wilson extrapolates what is already happening into a violent and shocking prediction of the planet in 2075, which – we should remember – is only just over 50 years away. Like The Handmaid’s Tale, that future looks grim, but lifting the story from abject horror is the tender and wise portrayal of human connections – parent for child; lover for lover; friend for friend – that capture small moments of optimism amongst the horror.
The opening scene is a particularly fine example: Yamaan’s friend Hassan, in the midst of his imprisonment in Eaglehawk, insists on imagining and describing the possibility of his young son being able to live for weeks, perhaps months, at the top of a coconut tree. The poignancy of this rather strange image is not obvious until later when we realise that only those at the highest points would have been able to survive the tsunami. Hassan’s hope is a small flame, and yet it persists; it is perhaps all that is keeping him from total despair. The story is carried forward by these small but powerful vignettes of humanity.
Set in 2075, the story is so realistic that it seems prescient rather than merely futuristic. The world has changed, not only through great advances in technology but by the tragic effects of climate change and consequent global events, including an horrific tsunami, which has resulted in whole nations being submerged, and most other countries struggling to keep the sea at bay. The obvious consequence of this is the overwhelming number of stateless refugees – people displaced by natural disasters, with nowhere to call home and no country willing to offer asylum. But with spine-tingling familiarity to our own current tragedy of offshore detention centres, the twin interests of politics and big business have stepped in to profit from others’ misery.
Eaglehawk MTC is a manufactory operated by giant conglomerate Cabey-Yasuda. Situated in Tasmania, the company offers stateless refugees the possibility of a visa to Australia if they participate in a 12-month work commitment. (Sound familiar?) Desperate people, many of them environmental refugees, survivors of the tsunami tragedy that killed their entire families, are willing to believe in anything that offers the faintest glimmer of hope for their future.
Rin Braden, the daughter of the company owner, hates working for the corrupt system of Cabey-Yasuda but feels she has no choice, especially after her depression when she fears that her lover, Yamaan, has been lost to the disaster. But when she learns that Yamann is alive and being held in an immigration detention facility, she is desperate to save him. The choices she makes, however, have dire consequences not only for Yamaan and for Rin’s mother’s company, but for the secrets of Rin’s past that come to light.
The epistolary narrative is interspersed with court transcripts, media reports and letters from subsequent legal investigations after the conclusion of the main story, thus providing the reader insights into the aftermath whilst still being immersed in the action.
What I loved most about this book was its compelling comparison between the hellish vision of the future and the issues we face today. Climate change, refugees, wealth disparity, vanishing resources, the privatisation of services, the collection and use of personal data – all of these things are happening in today’s world. Rohan Wilson extrapolates what is already happening into a violent and shocking prediction of the planet in 2075, which – we should remember – is only just over 50 years away. Like The Handmaid’s Tale, that future looks grim, but lifting the story from abject horror is the tender and wise portrayal of human connections – parent for child; lover for lover; friend for friend – that capture small moments of optimism amongst the horror.
The opening scene is a particularly fine example: Yamaan’s friend Hassan, in the midst of his imprisonment in Eaglehawk, insists on imagining and describing the possibility of his young son being able to live for weeks, perhaps months, at the top of a coconut tree. The poignancy of this rather strange image is not obvious until later when we realise that only those at the highest points would have been able to survive the tsunami. Hassan’s hope is a small flame, and yet it persists; it is perhaps all that is keeping him from total despair. The story is carried forward by these small but powerful vignettes of humanity.
June 15, 2019
3 1/2 stars
This is a dystopian novel set fifty years into the future when the effects of climate change and rising sea levels have obliterated many inhabited low-lying areas that exist in 2019. The situation is exacerbated when an extensive tsunami destroys more areas that had remained habitable up to this point due to walls and barriers built to withstand the rising sea waters. After the tsunami, the displaced refuges are at the mercy of governments and multinational companies who are prepared to create solutions for the refuge problem when there is the possibility of massive profits to be made.
Daughter of Bad Times is also a romance between two people from different cultures, class and economic backgrounds who, over several years have come to depend on each other for connection, stability and love. Rin is the adopted daughter of a very wealthy business woman whose international company Cabey-Yasuda sets up a detention centre in Tasmania designed to house, feed and employ refuges to manufacture their products. Yamaan, had been a PhD student who had to find employment in order to support his mother after his father was imprisoned. He (somehow) became the housekeeper in Rin’s mother’s house that they use infrequently. The clandestine relationship between Rin and Yamaan, thus had developed over several years with irregular physical but regular digital contact.
Alessandra – Rin’s mother is furious when she discovers Rin and Yamaan together and immediately fires Yamaan. Unfortunately, his expulsion transpires just before a tsunami hits his homeland and Yamaan ends up rescued with his cousin and relocated to a refugee camp.
There are a few discrepancies and/or dubious coincidences in this novel but the dystopian premise is interesting. Rohan Wilson cleverly extrapolates the contemporary fears, bigotry, demographics and politics of democratic countries in 2018, to envisage a world where refugees can be coerced into slavery by the promise of entry visas if the refugees work for a year. In his book, after the refugees have been working at the Cabey-Yasuda detention centre at Eaglehawk in Tasmania for over a year, the Australia government reneges on granting any visas. The workers now realise that they have been terribly conned by the company as the charges for their food and accommodation and non-achievement of production quotas means that they are in debt to the company.
This is a dystopian novel set fifty years into the future when the effects of climate change and rising sea levels have obliterated many inhabited low-lying areas that exist in 2019. The situation is exacerbated when an extensive tsunami destroys more areas that had remained habitable up to this point due to walls and barriers built to withstand the rising sea waters. After the tsunami, the displaced refuges are at the mercy of governments and multinational companies who are prepared to create solutions for the refuge problem when there is the possibility of massive profits to be made.
Daughter of Bad Times is also a romance between two people from different cultures, class and economic backgrounds who, over several years have come to depend on each other for connection, stability and love. Rin is the adopted daughter of a very wealthy business woman whose international company Cabey-Yasuda sets up a detention centre in Tasmania designed to house, feed and employ refuges to manufacture their products. Yamaan, had been a PhD student who had to find employment in order to support his mother after his father was imprisoned. He (somehow) became the housekeeper in Rin’s mother’s house that they use infrequently. The clandestine relationship between Rin and Yamaan, thus had developed over several years with irregular physical but regular digital contact.
Alessandra – Rin’s mother is furious when she discovers Rin and Yamaan together and immediately fires Yamaan. Unfortunately, his expulsion transpires just before a tsunami hits his homeland and Yamaan ends up rescued with his cousin and relocated to a refugee camp.
There are a few discrepancies and/or dubious coincidences in this novel but the dystopian premise is interesting. Rohan Wilson cleverly extrapolates the contemporary fears, bigotry, demographics and politics of democratic countries in 2018, to envisage a world where refugees can be coerced into slavery by the promise of entry visas if the refugees work for a year. In his book, after the refugees have been working at the Cabey-Yasuda detention centre at Eaglehawk in Tasmania for over a year, the Australia government reneges on granting any visas. The workers now realise that they have been terribly conned by the company as the charges for their food and accommodation and non-achievement of production quotas means that they are in debt to the company.
May 26, 2019
Rohan Wilson (featured here in Meet an Aussie Author) is one of my favourite authors. From his debut novel
The Roving Party
(which won the Vogel and a swag of other prizes) to his second, the award-winning
To Name Those Lost,
he is an author whose books offer a forensic insight into human brutality. But while both Wilson's previous books were set in colonial Tasmania, his new novel, Daughter of Bad Times is set in the future. It is a foreseeable future which is uncannily like our own times.
The 'daughter of bad times' is the obscenely wealthy Rin Braden, whose adoptive mother Alessandra is the billionaire head honcho of a corrections company. Cabey-Yasuda Corrections a.k.a. CYC has made its money by repurposing climate change refugees, and the Australian government is only too happy to be complicit in a facility called Eaglehawk in Tasmania, where stateless people who survived the sinking of the Maldives as the ocean rose, are lured to factory work in abominable conditions on the promise of a visa at the end of it. The canny economics of this arrangement mean that these non-citizen detainees have to pay for everything they use, from their relocation expenses to toilet paper to their daily meal, all from an inadequate salary. This makes it impossible ever to pay off their debt but still they go without all but the bare necessities because to do otherwise would be to lose all hope. Those Muslims who have not lost their faith after a man-made catastrophe which has left them with nothing—not even their families—perform their daily prayers on bits of cardboard salvaged from the factory.
To read the rest of my review please visit https://anzlitlovers.com/2019/05/26/d...
The 'daughter of bad times' is the obscenely wealthy Rin Braden, whose adoptive mother Alessandra is the billionaire head honcho of a corrections company. Cabey-Yasuda Corrections a.k.a. CYC has made its money by repurposing climate change refugees, and the Australian government is only too happy to be complicit in a facility called Eaglehawk in Tasmania, where stateless people who survived the sinking of the Maldives as the ocean rose, are lured to factory work in abominable conditions on the promise of a visa at the end of it. The canny economics of this arrangement mean that these non-citizen detainees have to pay for everything they use, from their relocation expenses to toilet paper to their daily meal, all from an inadequate salary. This makes it impossible ever to pay off their debt but still they go without all but the bare necessities because to do otherwise would be to lose all hope. Those Muslims who have not lost their faith after a man-made catastrophe which has left them with nothing—not even their families—perform their daily prayers on bits of cardboard salvaged from the factory.
To read the rest of my review please visit https://anzlitlovers.com/2019/05/26/d...
May 27, 2019
3.5 stars
Thank you to Allen & Unwin for an ARC of this book.
This book is set in the future - loosely around 60 years from now and is not one that I would normally pick up myself, however I did find the themes in it interesting and (unfortunately) definitely quite believable.
Climate change has brought about loss of countries (islands in particular) and corporate greed in the form of privately owned immigration detention centres seeking to exploit the homeless, poor and vulnerable.
Briefly, Rin meets Yaaman when he is hired as a 'houseboy' in her mother Alessandra's house in the Maldives. Rin becomes pretty much obsessed with Yaaman and starts sleeping with him when her mother is not around. After a series of events, Rin believes Yaaman to be dead, then finds him in one of her mother's (and hers - as she is the vice president) immigration detention facilities.
The characters are where this book fell down for me. The character of Yaaman was definitely the best character in the book and was well-rounded and believable. Alessandra was the true business woman type character who bought her way through life, while Rin was the spoilt adopted daughter who appeared to lack any real intelligence or integrity and went through life making poor decisions, and to me, seemed to treat Yaaman as her plaything.
The relationships between the characters didn't really gel for me either and none of them seemed genuine or believable.
Definitely worth reading though, as the themes are very interesting and definitely topical.
Thank you to Allen & Unwin for an ARC of this book.
This book is set in the future - loosely around 60 years from now and is not one that I would normally pick up myself, however I did find the themes in it interesting and (unfortunately) definitely quite believable.
Climate change has brought about loss of countries (islands in particular) and corporate greed in the form of privately owned immigration detention centres seeking to exploit the homeless, poor and vulnerable.
Briefly, Rin meets Yaaman when he is hired as a 'houseboy' in her mother Alessandra's house in the Maldives. Rin becomes pretty much obsessed with Yaaman and starts sleeping with him when her mother is not around. After a series of events, Rin believes Yaaman to be dead, then finds him in one of her mother's (and hers - as she is the vice president) immigration detention facilities.
The characters are where this book fell down for me. The character of Yaaman was definitely the best character in the book and was well-rounded and believable. Alessandra was the true business woman type character who bought her way through life, while Rin was the spoilt adopted daughter who appeared to lack any real intelligence or integrity and went through life making poor decisions, and to me, seemed to treat Yaaman as her plaything.
The relationships between the characters didn't really gel for me either and none of them seemed genuine or believable.
Definitely worth reading though, as the themes are very interesting and definitely topical.
June 23, 2019
Well, this was concerning.
Futuristic novels can be hard to do because it’s difficult to get a realistic picture on what the world is going to look like in 50, 75, 100, 200 years time. After all, remember Back To The Future? Everyone thought there’d be flying cars by now. Rohan Wilson doesn’t particularly go grandiose with this novel, set in the year 2075. Instead he takes a few things that are happening in the here and now…..and amplifies them.
Climate change and refugees. Elections are won and lost on the policies swirling around those two issues. In 2075, an earthquake and tsunami has wiped out the Maldives and surrounding regions, all those low lying islands. Those that weren’t killed ended up in refugee camps in places like Sri Lanka – until a company stepped forward with a plan. They would take those that were physically able and house them for a year, putting them to work in factories. When the year was up, they would be granted asylum status in places like Australia, having paid a debt to society. But it isn’t until the refugees arrive to work that they realise it’s not that simple. Everything they do incurs a debt to the company – every meal, every toiletry, every single time they don’t meet their targets, they are penalised. And they cannot be freed until they have paid that debt. And it doesn’t take a genius to figure out it’s structured in such a way that the debts can never be paid.
The thing is, this might be 50 years into the future but to me, what’s surprising is only the fact that someone hasn’t thought of this already. Refugees aren’t treated kindly here, especially those who arrive by boat – “queue jumpers” they’re called, economic refugees who have paid people to bring them here “illegally”, they are basically incarcerated in camps on places like Christmas Island and Manus Island. Sending the problem offshore where it can be out of sight, out of mind. I’m honestly surprised that someone hasn’t decided to put the people to work doing menial tasks in order to most profit from their situation. And it’s the perfect way to keep them happy…..because they think they’re going to do their time and be released. But in reality, they aren’t and the government doesn’t have to worry about them.
Rin’s mother owns the company that has the refugee ‘factories’ and she’s worked her way up from the bottom. The company also owns private prisons and Rin has done the hard yards at a guard at one of the prisons. Her mother was horrified when she discovered that Rin was having a relationship with a man who was employed to serve them in their Maldives holiday home and after the tsunami, Rin believes Yamaan to be dead – until she realises he’s in a facility in Tasmania, currently working off his ‘debt’ to the company. Rin travels to Tasmania to free him, to pay his debt and get him out, only to step into a situation of escalating rebellion and violence as the refugees realise they’ll never be allowed to go free. The novel alternates between Yamaan and Rin, giving their background romance, Rin’s unusual upbringing and the circumstances of Yamaan being in the Tasmanian immigration detention centre.
The de-humanising of refugees is already a thing, shunting them away on islands, talking up how they don’t deserve to be here and how they a) take your jobs b) will live on welfare with their 200 family members they sponsor and bring over or c) will kill you because they are probably terrorists infiltrating under sympathy and want to destroy the infidels. You only have to look at the difference in coverage and discussion surrounding a terrorist act done by a person of colour and one done by a white perpetrator. The differences are marked. The idea that this sort of solution would be acceptable actually isn’t a stretch of the imagination at all and I appreciated the way all of that was done, how the company seems like a saviour but really are only serving their own interests and the conditions are as brutal as you would expect.
Where I felt the novel did start to lose me, was deep into Rin’s background and the way in which she’d been raised. Her CEO mother isn’t particularly a well fleshed out character and I don’t really felt like the reader got much of a chance to get a handle on her and why she did what she did concerning Rin. It began to take up way too much page time towards the end of the book and I found my attention wandering a little because I honestly wasn’t invested in that particular part of the story at all and it didn’t seem to be doing much in terms of helping to establish Rin’s character. I was actually surprised at the depth of feeling that Rin ended up profession for Yamaan because she seemed so difficult to reach, almost like a cardboard cut out of a person. I actually felt like it was trying to tell two stories – Rin’s childhood/upbringing/what went on there and the story of Yamaan and the exposure of the deception of the immigration detention centres and the two didn’t always mesh together in a cohesive way.
I felt that this novel had a bit of a strong ‘this is where we might be going’ message but at times that got a bit confused as other plot points took over. I enjoyed it and saw it as a scary possibility, both in terms of these islands disappearing and what on earth will happen to the people that populated them. Depressing, really, especially given how low lying a huge portion of our country is. This could be us, as well. But hey, franking credits!
***A copy of this novel was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review***
Futuristic novels can be hard to do because it’s difficult to get a realistic picture on what the world is going to look like in 50, 75, 100, 200 years time. After all, remember Back To The Future? Everyone thought there’d be flying cars by now. Rohan Wilson doesn’t particularly go grandiose with this novel, set in the year 2075. Instead he takes a few things that are happening in the here and now…..and amplifies them.
Climate change and refugees. Elections are won and lost on the policies swirling around those two issues. In 2075, an earthquake and tsunami has wiped out the Maldives and surrounding regions, all those low lying islands. Those that weren’t killed ended up in refugee camps in places like Sri Lanka – until a company stepped forward with a plan. They would take those that were physically able and house them for a year, putting them to work in factories. When the year was up, they would be granted asylum status in places like Australia, having paid a debt to society. But it isn’t until the refugees arrive to work that they realise it’s not that simple. Everything they do incurs a debt to the company – every meal, every toiletry, every single time they don’t meet their targets, they are penalised. And they cannot be freed until they have paid that debt. And it doesn’t take a genius to figure out it’s structured in such a way that the debts can never be paid.
The thing is, this might be 50 years into the future but to me, what’s surprising is only the fact that someone hasn’t thought of this already. Refugees aren’t treated kindly here, especially those who arrive by boat – “queue jumpers” they’re called, economic refugees who have paid people to bring them here “illegally”, they are basically incarcerated in camps on places like Christmas Island and Manus Island. Sending the problem offshore where it can be out of sight, out of mind. I’m honestly surprised that someone hasn’t decided to put the people to work doing menial tasks in order to most profit from their situation. And it’s the perfect way to keep them happy…..because they think they’re going to do their time and be released. But in reality, they aren’t and the government doesn’t have to worry about them.
Rin’s mother owns the company that has the refugee ‘factories’ and she’s worked her way up from the bottom. The company also owns private prisons and Rin has done the hard yards at a guard at one of the prisons. Her mother was horrified when she discovered that Rin was having a relationship with a man who was employed to serve them in their Maldives holiday home and after the tsunami, Rin believes Yamaan to be dead – until she realises he’s in a facility in Tasmania, currently working off his ‘debt’ to the company. Rin travels to Tasmania to free him, to pay his debt and get him out, only to step into a situation of escalating rebellion and violence as the refugees realise they’ll never be allowed to go free. The novel alternates between Yamaan and Rin, giving their background romance, Rin’s unusual upbringing and the circumstances of Yamaan being in the Tasmanian immigration detention centre.
The de-humanising of refugees is already a thing, shunting them away on islands, talking up how they don’t deserve to be here and how they a) take your jobs b) will live on welfare with their 200 family members they sponsor and bring over or c) will kill you because they are probably terrorists infiltrating under sympathy and want to destroy the infidels. You only have to look at the difference in coverage and discussion surrounding a terrorist act done by a person of colour and one done by a white perpetrator. The differences are marked. The idea that this sort of solution would be acceptable actually isn’t a stretch of the imagination at all and I appreciated the way all of that was done, how the company seems like a saviour but really are only serving their own interests and the conditions are as brutal as you would expect.
Where I felt the novel did start to lose me, was deep into Rin’s background and the way in which she’d been raised. Her CEO mother isn’t particularly a well fleshed out character and I don’t really felt like the reader got much of a chance to get a handle on her and why she did what she did concerning Rin. It began to take up way too much page time towards the end of the book and I found my attention wandering a little because I honestly wasn’t invested in that particular part of the story at all and it didn’t seem to be doing much in terms of helping to establish Rin’s character. I was actually surprised at the depth of feeling that Rin ended up profession for Yamaan because she seemed so difficult to reach, almost like a cardboard cut out of a person. I actually felt like it was trying to tell two stories – Rin’s childhood/upbringing/what went on there and the story of Yamaan and the exposure of the deception of the immigration detention centres and the two didn’t always mesh together in a cohesive way.
I felt that this novel had a bit of a strong ‘this is where we might be going’ message but at times that got a bit confused as other plot points took over. I enjoyed it and saw it as a scary possibility, both in terms of these islands disappearing and what on earth will happen to the people that populated them. Depressing, really, especially given how low lying a huge portion of our country is. This could be us, as well. But hey, franking credits!
***A copy of this novel was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review***
April 1, 2021
I read this as a hard-hitting political thriller propelled by an unlikely romance. Although it's set in 2075, it feels much closer in time and is a clear examination of the current Australian political situation in regards to displaced people and corporate cronyism.
It's a good solid read. The action sequences in the last act are brilliant and exhilarating. The descriptions of a major natural disaster earlier on are harrowing and disturbing and have stayed with this reader. Court reports from government and corporate representatives break up the main narrative and these sections show off the dangerous slipperiness of political language.
I wasn't completely convinced by the relationship at the heart of the story though, and the passion that the main characters seemed to internally hold for each other wasn't always obvious when they were together. I didn't mind being made to question and doubt each character's intentions in the relationship, as that helped give the characters a real depth and humanity, but I wasn't sure that the relationship was powerful enough to actually drive events the way that they do - particularly in Rin's case.
But I would definitely recommend this book and I look forward to reading more from this author.
It's a good solid read. The action sequences in the last act are brilliant and exhilarating. The descriptions of a major natural disaster earlier on are harrowing and disturbing and have stayed with this reader. Court reports from government and corporate representatives break up the main narrative and these sections show off the dangerous slipperiness of political language.
I wasn't completely convinced by the relationship at the heart of the story though, and the passion that the main characters seemed to internally hold for each other wasn't always obvious when they were together. I didn't mind being made to question and doubt each character's intentions in the relationship, as that helped give the characters a real depth and humanity, but I wasn't sure that the relationship was powerful enough to actually drive events the way that they do - particularly in Rin's case.
But I would definitely recommend this book and I look forward to reading more from this author.
August 15, 2020
In the very-scarily-too-near future, entire nations are lost to ice melt and subsequent rising sea levels. Amid this environmental catastrophe a privatised system of detaining the now-stateless environmental refugees has arisen, and those with no country to call home are held in detention centres dotted around the world. The refugees are forced to work to earn their right to become citizens of their captors' lands. Within this book we see themes of climate change, privatised essential services, monopoly control of resources, and the monetisation and dehumanisation governments will force upon their citizens in the name of shareholder interests. This story is told through transcripts from a court case and the internal accounts of two young people, virtual strangers coming together surrounded by chaos This could possibly be the most important book of our times, a tool to expose the money-making processes that are being constructed right before our eyes. A great book by a great award winning author.
July 6, 2019
Late 21st century, and the world is struggling with the effects of climate change. The Maldives, in particular, have suffered sea rise and a devastating tsunami. Survivors have been shipped to a refugee camp in Sri Lanka. One of those survivors is a young man, Yamaan, who had been working for a rich westerner, Alessandra, who runs a series of detention centres and prisons for various countries, including Australia.
Alessanra's adopted daughter, Rin, has an on-going relationship with Yamaan, with whom she has fallen in love. When she discovers that he has been shipped to the Tasmanian Eaglehawk manufactory built by her mother to exploit these environmental refugees, she is determined to find a way to release him.
This is a gritty but gripping story showing both the best and worst of humanity.
Alessanra's adopted daughter, Rin, has an on-going relationship with Yamaan, with whom she has fallen in love. When she discovers that he has been shipped to the Tasmanian Eaglehawk manufactory built by her mother to exploit these environmental refugees, she is determined to find a way to release him.
This is a gritty but gripping story showing both the best and worst of humanity.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 4, 2019
Another climate fiction dystopia story, this one extremely plausible. In fact when I read that the anti-boycott laws were in effect in this book I wondered if our current PM, Schomo had read it as he recently proposed that organising boycotts should be illegal. We live in fascist times & this book is a continuation of the path we are already on, if something doesn't change drastically within our political system.
I found the story a bit cold, I'm not sure what I mean by that honestly, it may have been the simple fact of a man writing a female character, I feel that he didn't really get to the heart of Rin, she remained unknowable, just out of reach. Yamaan was much better realised. It warms up toward the end & I began to feel it in my heart not just my head. The ending was as expected really with possibly the Australian Government being the real bad guys.
I found the story a bit cold, I'm not sure what I mean by that honestly, it may have been the simple fact of a man writing a female character, I feel that he didn't really get to the heart of Rin, she remained unknowable, just out of reach. Yamaan was much better realised. It warms up toward the end & I began to feel it in my heart not just my head. The ending was as expected really with possibly the Australian Government being the real bad guys.
November 30, 2019
A well constructed, emotional and depressing dystopian future. Page 130 Yamaan "They trawled around and around, plucking the wet and wailing people from the sea. The problem was not the people. The problem was where to take us. We came past Malé and it was a blazing ruin. Have you ever seen fire burning on water? Some say it's beautiful. It's not. It's terrifying. So Malé was gone and the wet, wailing people had to be taken somewhere." Interspersed with transcript proceedings of the public hearing in Hobart, the Royal Commission Into The Eaglehawk Migrant Training Centre Riot makes for heavy-hearted reading, in fact, the book made me heavy-hearted and I hope it never comes to pass.
January 15, 2020
Just superb. Ticked all my boxes, in terms of characters, readability, cracking story, dark political views, local author and local story with global application - I was hooked from the beginning. Wilson't view of the future Australia and the world is dark and pessimistic, but one only has to look around now and his vision is playing out around us right now. He makes a call on what will happen if neo-conservatism, hyper-capitalism, Trumpian "statesmanship" and climate-science denial are allowed to continue - and it isn't pretty. It is not just (or even) a political rant, though, it is a fully developed writer who is more than usually good at his craft. My first five-star book of 2020.
July 26, 2019
Set in 2074/5 in a world of rising sea levels and lost nations as a result. Those who survive are now refugees, who those in power seek to exploit. I was fully drawn in by the world Rohan Wilson created, but I must admit to flagging as the central love story unfolded. The final third of the book, which is probably for many the most thrilling, lost me a bit more. All in all a read I would recommend, but not really what I personally was after.
June 24, 2021
Thoughtful, insightful, and nuanced ideas combine with an all-too-real thriller plot that accelerates throughout. The protagonists hurtle, ever faster, into, and through, the looming (metaphorical) train crash. As for the romance, I liked the progression of each individual and their relationship/s; I liked how their flaws, especially Rin's, became strengths as their self-awareness grows. An enjoyable and gripping page-turner.
December 8, 2019
Great premise, not into futuristic novels but interested in the setting of this one. Unfortunately, though starting with promise, it descended into a laborious and unlikely romance novel with a really unlikeable central character. Struggled to finish it but it was interesting for the few bits of political and humanitarian supposition that are plausible given Australia’s current trajectory.
December 29, 2019
A bold story of the future but one that feels too close with temperatures rising and the Australian government imprisoning refugees for the sake of it. That's the probable start of the story. The slightly improbable part of the story is the core relationship of the lovers but I was willing to put my doubts aside and go with the flow. The result was a smart, engaging and often moving story.
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