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The Price of Two Sparrows
Heico is an ornithologist fighting a losing battle to protect the birds in his beachside suburb. When a journalist asks for comment on a planned development, Heico exaggerates his reports on how many migratory birds use the site. Soon it is revealed that the proposed building is a mosque, and he finds himself embroiled in community resistance to the project. Still, he refuses to back down.
Nahla, Heico’s house cleaner, is trying to find her place in a new country and a new marriage. Isolated and lonely, she sees the mosque as a symbol of what she hopes to find in Australia: community, familiarity, acceptance. But as resistance to the project intensifies, she must summon the courage and the language to claim her space in this new life.
Piercingly clear-eyed and deeply insightful, The Price of Two Sparrows explores what we hold sacred and why. It delicately picks apart questions of community and prejudice, religion and nature in the modern world. This is a beautiful and thought-provoking debut from an award-winning Australian writer.
Nahla, Heico’s house cleaner, is trying to find her place in a new country and a new marriage. Isolated and lonely, she sees the mosque as a symbol of what she hopes to find in Australia: community, familiarity, acceptance. But as resistance to the project intensifies, she must summon the courage and the language to claim her space in this new life.
Piercingly clear-eyed and deeply insightful, The Price of Two Sparrows explores what we hold sacred and why. It delicately picks apart questions of community and prejudice, religion and nature in the modern world. This is a beautiful and thought-provoking debut from an award-winning Australian writer.
- GenresFiction
288 pages, Paperback
First published January 27, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
February 3, 2021
A thought-provoking reflection on what we lose in an increasingly secular society. Collins comes at her themes and characters with a wide global lens which makes them all the more illuminating. I love books like Fire Sermon, Transcendent Kingdom and Milk Fed that pose questions about religion in nuanced multi-faceted ways and I would certainly add this book to that list.
March 2, 2021
Christy Collins’ writing previously won a Seizure la Novella Prize, and her first novel The Price of Two Sparrows (Affirm Press 2021) confirms her place as an author to watch. Collins’ interest in race, religion, ethnicity, poverty, classism, exclusion and intolerance is explored through themes of belonging, friendship, ideals, family and dreams. The Price of Two Sparrows is a wonderful and accessible novel with an interesting plot that manages to ask much of the reader in terms of questioning their own beliefs and motivations.
In a coastal suburb, the Muslim community has pooled its resources to purchase a parcel of scrubby bushland on which to build their mosque, what they hope will be a home for them all, a place of worship and community, of belonging and prayer. They dream it will be so much better than meeting once a week at the local hall, where they must avoid the Meals on Wheels volunteers, where they are only one group of many who use the space. They yearn for a space of their own. Architects and planners are involved; the new mosque will be environmentally friendly and inclusive to all in the community, with childcare and other services. The design is flowing and functional, beautiful and simple, meant to align with religious values whilst also blending in with the surrounding bush and coastal dunes and harmonising with the landscape.
Heico works as an ornithologist fighting a losing battle to protect the local birds, always writing another grant proposal and trying to grab a piece of the ever-dwindling resource money available for such projects. When a journalist asks him for a comment on a ‘planned development’, Heico exaggerates his summary of the number of migratory birds that use or fly over the site, hoping to keep the land undeveloped. But then the mosque plan is revealed, and he finds himself embroiled in increasing community resistance to the project. He becomes the face against the mosque, even though he really has no problem with it, and his exaggerated figures backfire against him as he struggles to cling to his version of the truth.
His house cleaner, Nahla, is trying to establish herself in a new country and new marriage without English and without the sense of community she is used to; she is isolated and lonely and sees the mosque as a symbol of all she hopes to find: ‘community, familiarity, acceptance’.
Resistance to the project grows and the slow workings of local council and development laws grind away at a glacial pace. Nahla wants to speak up, but finds many obstacles to doing so, her lack of language being only one.
Quoting the Qur’an at chapter headings, this book is a fascinating mix of religion, environmentalism and racism. It explores culture, climate change, the long-term effects of human development on landscape, and the prejudice that people hold in their hearts even when they have no specific information on which to base their views.
Intermittently throughout the book, Collins includes a page of newspaper headlines from a particular month and year that relate to the time of the novel. These serve the purpose of anchoring the reader firmly in a time and place through the remembering of specific events, and also acts as a shorthand summary of Australia’s race relations and particular events, decisions, crimes, riots, laws and government pronouncements that have peppered our social landscape over the years, and driven many of the prejudices and intolerances that have occurred. We are drawn into the fictional by the inclusion of the factual. These interjections remind us of what actually occurred at those times; events we may have forgotten, or events that seem so much more significant now in hindsight than they did at the time.
At the heart of the book are the characters who we care deeply about from the beginning, no matter whose side we are on. And no matter what our views about development, about religion, about community, about environmentalism, the characters represent all of us, and enable us to see alternative points of view in an authentic and comprehensible way. Collins’ interest in issues such as race relations, refugees, assimilation, religious freedom, politics, climate change, the environment and the ponderous steps of government decisions and actions is obvious through her balanced and nuanced portrayal of a community divided, of families torn, of the rights of nature versus the desires of people. A lovely, thoughtful book that asks readers to question their own personal views, and how they might be tested.
In a coastal suburb, the Muslim community has pooled its resources to purchase a parcel of scrubby bushland on which to build their mosque, what they hope will be a home for them all, a place of worship and community, of belonging and prayer. They dream it will be so much better than meeting once a week at the local hall, where they must avoid the Meals on Wheels volunteers, where they are only one group of many who use the space. They yearn for a space of their own. Architects and planners are involved; the new mosque will be environmentally friendly and inclusive to all in the community, with childcare and other services. The design is flowing and functional, beautiful and simple, meant to align with religious values whilst also blending in with the surrounding bush and coastal dunes and harmonising with the landscape.
Heico works as an ornithologist fighting a losing battle to protect the local birds, always writing another grant proposal and trying to grab a piece of the ever-dwindling resource money available for such projects. When a journalist asks him for a comment on a ‘planned development’, Heico exaggerates his summary of the number of migratory birds that use or fly over the site, hoping to keep the land undeveloped. But then the mosque plan is revealed, and he finds himself embroiled in increasing community resistance to the project. He becomes the face against the mosque, even though he really has no problem with it, and his exaggerated figures backfire against him as he struggles to cling to his version of the truth.
His house cleaner, Nahla, is trying to establish herself in a new country and new marriage without English and without the sense of community she is used to; she is isolated and lonely and sees the mosque as a symbol of all she hopes to find: ‘community, familiarity, acceptance’.
Resistance to the project grows and the slow workings of local council and development laws grind away at a glacial pace. Nahla wants to speak up, but finds many obstacles to doing so, her lack of language being only one.
Quoting the Qur’an at chapter headings, this book is a fascinating mix of religion, environmentalism and racism. It explores culture, climate change, the long-term effects of human development on landscape, and the prejudice that people hold in their hearts even when they have no specific information on which to base their views.
Intermittently throughout the book, Collins includes a page of newspaper headlines from a particular month and year that relate to the time of the novel. These serve the purpose of anchoring the reader firmly in a time and place through the remembering of specific events, and also acts as a shorthand summary of Australia’s race relations and particular events, decisions, crimes, riots, laws and government pronouncements that have peppered our social landscape over the years, and driven many of the prejudices and intolerances that have occurred. We are drawn into the fictional by the inclusion of the factual. These interjections remind us of what actually occurred at those times; events we may have forgotten, or events that seem so much more significant now in hindsight than they did at the time.
At the heart of the book are the characters who we care deeply about from the beginning, no matter whose side we are on. And no matter what our views about development, about religion, about community, about environmentalism, the characters represent all of us, and enable us to see alternative points of view in an authentic and comprehensible way. Collins’ interest in issues such as race relations, refugees, assimilation, religious freedom, politics, climate change, the environment and the ponderous steps of government decisions and actions is obvious through her balanced and nuanced portrayal of a community divided, of families torn, of the rights of nature versus the desires of people. A lovely, thoughtful book that asks readers to question their own personal views, and how they might be tested.
May 26, 2021
Didn’t really get on well with this one. I thought the plot and synopsis sounded interesting and I liked how the book started each section with news headlines so the story could be placed in time. However something didn’t quite click for me, not sure if it was the narration (I listened to the audiobook) or the writing style.
February 3, 2021
At the end of my review of Christy Collins' prize-winning novella, The End of Seeing, I wrote:
That awareness of our wider world is also woven into Christy Collins' new release, The Price of Two Sparrows. From the migratory birds winging their way across the world to coastal Sydney, to research projects that span the globe, to suburbs comprising people of diverse cultural and ethnic origins, the complexity and inter-relatedness of modern society is the bedrock of a novel which has as its theme, humanity vs the environment.
I liked it because it shows the complexity of conflicts which are often depicted in simplistic ways in the media. I also liked the authenticity of the moment when the reader realises that, no matter how the author resolves the situation, there are no winners. The Judgement of Solomon, remember, still left one mother heartbroken.
Powerful, empathetic characterisation shows that sometimes when people are challenged over issues about which they feel strongly, they react defensively and dig themselves into entrenched positions. It shows that these conflicts generate stress and tension that spill over into other aspects of the participants' lives — marriage, work, social life.
And although there are multiple perspectives about the issue, the narration privileges two voices: one with power because he has authority, knowledge and familiarity with the processes of decision-making; and one who is disempowered because her language difficulties and cultural position prevent her from voicing her perspective in public. The irony is that it's the latter who has certainty about her position, while he is conflicted.
Set in coastal Sydney, the story revolves around a proposed development on land adjacent to a nature reserve for protected birds. Heico Brandsma is a Dutch ornithologist who sees his stand against the development as his one chance to make a difference. Bogged down by bureaucracy in his public service job in conservation, frustrated by the endless reports and funding submissions and office politics, he finds that the only time he feels solace is when he's out in the field with the birds that are the focus of his life's work. He does not want anything to risk their survival. Nobody involved in the interminable council decision-making process seems to understand that birds are not creatures that behave in routine, predictable ways. He's worried that some aspects of the development will compromise the birds' flight paths or breeding habits, enough to affect their ultimate survival as a species.
So when a journalist asks him for comment about the development without mentioning what it is, he provides, on an impulse, a misleading graphic of a data set, so that without a caption, it implies that there are many more migratory birds than there really are. He has no idea that he will soon be enlisted as spokesman in a campaign against the building, the objections masquerading as bird-friendly environmentalism.
Is this morally dubious? Well, if the reader at this stage is like Heico, envisaging an apartment block of questionable architectural or social merit or a commercial building of some sort, it may seem that Heico's deception is for the greater good. But Christy Collins hasn't made it as easy as that.
To read the rest of my review please visit https://anzlitlovers.com/2021/01/29/t...
There is a big picture in this exquisite story, one that shows an author with an all-too-rare awareness of our wider world.
That awareness of our wider world is also woven into Christy Collins' new release, The Price of Two Sparrows. From the migratory birds winging their way across the world to coastal Sydney, to research projects that span the globe, to suburbs comprising people of diverse cultural and ethnic origins, the complexity and inter-relatedness of modern society is the bedrock of a novel which has as its theme, humanity vs the environment.
I liked it because it shows the complexity of conflicts which are often depicted in simplistic ways in the media. I also liked the authenticity of the moment when the reader realises that, no matter how the author resolves the situation, there are no winners. The Judgement of Solomon, remember, still left one mother heartbroken.
Powerful, empathetic characterisation shows that sometimes when people are challenged over issues about which they feel strongly, they react defensively and dig themselves into entrenched positions. It shows that these conflicts generate stress and tension that spill over into other aspects of the participants' lives — marriage, work, social life.
And although there are multiple perspectives about the issue, the narration privileges two voices: one with power because he has authority, knowledge and familiarity with the processes of decision-making; and one who is disempowered because her language difficulties and cultural position prevent her from voicing her perspective in public. The irony is that it's the latter who has certainty about her position, while he is conflicted.
Set in coastal Sydney, the story revolves around a proposed development on land adjacent to a nature reserve for protected birds. Heico Brandsma is a Dutch ornithologist who sees his stand against the development as his one chance to make a difference. Bogged down by bureaucracy in his public service job in conservation, frustrated by the endless reports and funding submissions and office politics, he finds that the only time he feels solace is when he's out in the field with the birds that are the focus of his life's work. He does not want anything to risk their survival. Nobody involved in the interminable council decision-making process seems to understand that birds are not creatures that behave in routine, predictable ways. He's worried that some aspects of the development will compromise the birds' flight paths or breeding habits, enough to affect their ultimate survival as a species.
So when a journalist asks him for comment about the development without mentioning what it is, he provides, on an impulse, a misleading graphic of a data set, so that without a caption, it implies that there are many more migratory birds than there really are. He has no idea that he will soon be enlisted as spokesman in a campaign against the building, the objections masquerading as bird-friendly environmentalism.
Is this morally dubious? Well, if the reader at this stage is like Heico, envisaging an apartment block of questionable architectural or social merit or a commercial building of some sort, it may seem that Heico's deception is for the greater good. But Christy Collins hasn't made it as easy as that.
To read the rest of my review please visit https://anzlitlovers.com/2021/01/29/t...
March 10, 2021
This is a really complex story about birds vs new build in an early twenty-first century Sydney coastal suburb. Think mosque, add Cronulla. That’s simplifying it because the author creates characters of great depth to draw out the many angles involved. Evidence of this is that I couldn’t find any one character to really dislike There’s a lot of angst and emotional moments in this cleverly plotted novel, I loved the structure which really took me back to those days when religious conflict became a potentially very divisive factor in Australian society.
November 25, 2023
The story is a simple one about a town planning application, but such applications are never simple.
The land in question is owned by an Islamic association who wish to build a mosque on this beautiful coastal site. There is a wonderful, environmentally sensitive design which has been approved by the association. The design is by a female Muslim architect who has considered all the aspects relating to Islamic custom as well as the needs of modern Muslims who want to make Australia and this part of the coast their home, put down roots and raise families.
An application had already been approved for a family restaurant on the site before the consortium went broke - all the ground-work of council requirements, drainage, parking etc had been approved for that so what could go wrong?
There is Heico, the ornithologist who wants the land protected for migratory birds. Birds that fly halfway around the world and whose journeys are already threatened by rising sea levels and loss of habitat along their migratory pathway.
There is the Islamic community who want to have a place not only to worship but to feel at home in their new country.
There is the general public in a time of political and racial turmoil all around the world. Many are ordinary people incited by fear to behave badly.
(The racially and religiously based "Cronulla Riot" of this period is a dark stain on Australian history.)
The thread of unconscious racial bias runs through this book. Does Heico really just want to protect the birds? He is a troubled man. Perhaps he feels threatened by any religious organisation.
Bureaucracy, humanity, faith, relationships - all will be tested.
Christy Collins is an experienced writer but 'The price of Two Sparrows' is her first novel.
She draws on her life experiences of work and travel to make this modern dilemma real and profoundly thought-provoking.
The land in question is owned by an Islamic association who wish to build a mosque on this beautiful coastal site. There is a wonderful, environmentally sensitive design which has been approved by the association. The design is by a female Muslim architect who has considered all the aspects relating to Islamic custom as well as the needs of modern Muslims who want to make Australia and this part of the coast their home, put down roots and raise families.
An application had already been approved for a family restaurant on the site before the consortium went broke - all the ground-work of council requirements, drainage, parking etc had been approved for that so what could go wrong?
There is Heico, the ornithologist who wants the land protected for migratory birds. Birds that fly halfway around the world and whose journeys are already threatened by rising sea levels and loss of habitat along their migratory pathway.
There is the Islamic community who want to have a place not only to worship but to feel at home in their new country.
There is the general public in a time of political and racial turmoil all around the world. Many are ordinary people incited by fear to behave badly.
(The racially and religiously based "Cronulla Riot" of this period is a dark stain on Australian history.)
The thread of unconscious racial bias runs through this book. Does Heico really just want to protect the birds? He is a troubled man. Perhaps he feels threatened by any religious organisation.
Bureaucracy, humanity, faith, relationships - all will be tested.
Christy Collins is an experienced writer but 'The price of Two Sparrows' is her first novel.
She draws on her life experiences of work and travel to make this modern dilemma real and profoundly thought-provoking.
March 15, 2021
Set in 2004-2006 at the height of post-911 Islamophobia, this novel focuses on the reactions to a proposed mosque development in a coastal Sydney suburb. A local research scientist believes the project will threaten the migration path of an endangered bird and this environmental objection is thoroughly embraced by many in the community in opposing the mosque. It was interesting to re-visit this period and the issues that were extremely volatile at the time. Collins does a great job of providing the different perspectives on the proposed mosque - from the local Muslim community seeking a dedicated place of worship, but also somewhere to feel truly at home, to the environmental issues of overdevelopment and existential human impact on other species. She also clearly illustrates the ways in which our identity is so tied to our place in different communities - from our place of birth to our faith to our professions to our home lives. I really enjoyed this book and there is a lot to unpack and think about. Mostly I enjoyed the way Collins has created a story to shine a light on the issue of unconscious prejudice - a great book club read!!
- Read by Kate
- Read by Kate
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June 30, 2021This is quite a sad story, and I was left feeling a bit ‘hollow’ at the end of it. I listened to it as an audio book, the narrator was good and the narrative interesting but I found I did need to really listen, not just have it on in the background of doing something else, so I was slow coming back to it at times.
The structure worked well for the story, three different narrators, two principle narrators it seemed, and chapters introduced with a summary of world events that month. The language is beautiful in parts, the characters well drawn if not all sympathetic, and the story while not fast paced had enough tension to maintain interest.
The conflict over the potential building of a mosque, and the motivations of those involved is explored sensitively. Nahla through the process of advocating for the mosque seems to find her voice, and feel more sure of her place. Having started the story with quite a lonely life Nahla has made connections by the end of the narrative. Heico, through his single minded campaign to ‘save’ the site for the birds appears to lose almost everything as a result, but you do wonder whether that in the end was a necessary outcome for him to begin to build something new.
The structure worked well for the story, three different narrators, two principle narrators it seemed, and chapters introduced with a summary of world events that month. The language is beautiful in parts, the characters well drawn if not all sympathetic, and the story while not fast paced had enough tension to maintain interest.
The conflict over the potential building of a mosque, and the motivations of those involved is explored sensitively. Nahla through the process of advocating for the mosque seems to find her voice, and feel more sure of her place. Having started the story with quite a lonely life Nahla has made connections by the end of the narrative. Heico, through his single minded campaign to ‘save’ the site for the birds appears to lose almost everything as a result, but you do wonder whether that in the end was a necessary outcome for him to begin to build something new.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 16, 2021
Having greatly admired the quiet artistry Christy Collins displayed in her award-winning novella The End of Seeing, I was eager to learn what subject matter she would tackle in her debut full-length novel. The issues explored within The Price of Two Sparrows are ones many would, and perhaps should, avoid tackling. But I knew it was safe in this author’s very capable hands.
In The Price of Two Sparrows, Collins depicts historical (and societal) context and progression with lists of actual news headlines of the time at the start of chapters, and then swiftly eschews these for intimate first-person narrative viewpoints, authentically flawed moments and introspection. The juxtaposition is striking and the opportunity to walk in another’s shoes highly thought-provoking. Continue reading >> https://www.bookloverbookreviews.com/...
In The Price of Two Sparrows, Collins depicts historical (and societal) context and progression with lists of actual news headlines of the time at the start of chapters, and then swiftly eschews these for intimate first-person narrative viewpoints, authentically flawed moments and introspection. The juxtaposition is striking and the opportunity to walk in another’s shoes highly thought-provoking. Continue reading >> https://www.bookloverbookreviews.com/...
August 3, 2025
Read for book club. This is an interesting examination of a society and its biases. The main protagonist, Heico, is an ornithologist who is asked by a journalist for data on bird movements in a coastal reserve. He is told there is a development application before council so, misleadingly, conflates the data over a number of years, thus increasing the number of birds that may be affected. What he wasn't told is that the DA is for a mosque. He becomes embroiled in the debate around the mosque which becoes increasingly bitter as anti-Muslim sentiment grows - this is set in the early 2000s. The plot takes a look at all the viewpoints around this debate and leaves the reader which much to ponder at the end.
July 12, 2021
I have to say, that I struggled a little to get swept up and carried away with this story and felt I never really got a handle on any of the main characters. While I appreciated their unique perspectives, differing insights into the debate, their hopes and dreams, even fading hopes and dreams... side stories were hinted at but never fully followed. Some lovely parables even woven in. But I even felt that I didn't get to know the birds. I suppose that wasn't the point. I kept expecting some moral high ground to happen where one character was show to be right at the expense of others... but thankfully that was not the case, and in the end, I liked it.
April 6, 2021
Outstanding. Had me hooked from page 1. This is set during the time of the Cronulla riots but was all the more poignant for me after watching the dignity and graciousness of the Muslim community of Christchurch in the wake of the terrorist attack on two mosques in 2019. The Muslim community in Christy Collin's novel display this same rare grace and dignity where they have every right to feel anger and bitterness.
February 28, 2021
Lots of interesting things to take away from this book about how small decisions, as well as miscommunications, can ripple through a community. I enjoyed the chapter beginnings with events from that time highlighted to remind us of what was happening in the world at the time and the way the novel shone a light on the underlying xenophobia evident in our communities.
June 20, 2021
I really enjoyed this book, it covers a broad range of topics from planning and architecture through to ornithology and Islam.
It has some good food for thought as it uses newspaper headlines to track Australian racial tensions and got me thinking about the importance of community and the care needed when voicing an "expert" opinion.
It has some good food for thought as it uses newspaper headlines to track Australian racial tensions and got me thinking about the importance of community and the care needed when voicing an "expert" opinion.
December 21, 2025
This was an interesting story to read, especially this week, accidentally fortuitous on my part. Multiculturism is very challenging and Islam in particular has provoked controversy and special considerations. It is always worth dwelling on the humanity of others and their need for community as well the price the earth pays for our excesses.
August 17, 2021
I just couldn’t get into this book. The main character was well fleshed out but the others were almost caricatures: brash American wife, sweet, meek Muslim girl, etc etc. and the story didn’t engage me.
December 23, 2021
An unusual plot pits nature conservation against Muslim immigration - or not? It pays to check the display shelves at the library to come across a book you might otherwise not hear about.
March 2, 2023
Three and a half stars
May 13, 2021
Beautifully written. Great character development. But held back from a full 5 star rating by the slow section in the middle where nothing new was happening.
July 9, 2021
The Price of Two Sparrows
is an enjoyable and thought provoking novel about the right of a group of 'believers' to build their place of worship in an area outside of Sydney frequented by migratory birds each year for the purpose of nesting and recuperating after their arduous flight south.
The story is set against the backdrop of the 2005 Cronulla riots, it has many references to the beliefs and writings of both the Muslim and Christian faiths and unusual endings to each chapter in which world and Australian events which highlight inequality are listed.
The story is set against the backdrop of the 2005 Cronulla riots, it has many references to the beliefs and writings of both the Muslim and Christian faiths and unusual endings to each chapter in which world and Australian events which highlight inequality are listed.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews