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Repentance
‘But then we all love this place, don’t we, in our different ways?’ It’s the summer of 1976, and the winds of change are blowing through the small town of Repentance on the edge of the Great Dividing Range. The old families farmed cattle and cut timber, but the new settlers, the hippies, have a different perspective on the natural order and humankind’s place in the scheme of things. Soon everything will be disturbed. Either the old growth is coming down or the loggers have to be stopped. And although not everyone agrees on tactics, noone will escape being drawn into the coming confrontation. A tale of a country town and its rhythms, Repentance is also the story of modern Australia at one of its flashpoints, told tenderly and beautifully through the eyes of characters you won’t forget.
304 pages, Paperback
Published October 5, 2021
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111 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
March 15, 2021
“There was no moving upstream, no going back and unknowing the things that you now knew.”
Eco-literature has become one of my favourite sub-genres over the last year and this novel was just sublime. It ebbed and flowed like a gentle stream and even when it was at its most dramatic, there was a stillness to it that allowed you to really sink in and appreciate Alison’s beautiful writing and superb characterisation. I absolutely loved this novel.
Set in a small country town whose primary industries are logging, dairy and beef production, the story spans months across 1976 and pivots around a protest against logging that arises from new residents (hippies) mounting a campaign to ‘save the forest’. Inevitably, the majority of locals find themselves pitted against the hippies but this is not just an ‘us against them’ sort of story. Alison writes from quite a few different perspectives, even incorporating an omniscient rainforest/nature viewpoint inserted every so often between chapters. The holistic style of this novel allows the reader to be fully informed of all sides and fully invested in the lives of all affected. I found it impossible to take sides and I also gained a lot of insight, particularly from the logging perspective, that surprised me. And that’s what I loved so much about this novel, the characterisation, the way the characters drove the narrative and stayed the course. This is a fine example of accessible and engaging literary fiction.
There was such a ‘slice of life’ aspect to this novel that enhanced my appreciation for it. Australia in the 1970s was perfectly captured and that essence of familiarity was evident all the way through. In many ways this is a quiet novel, although there were certainly spikes in drama, but it wasn’t given to moments of melodrama, it’s scenes of high action all the more impactful because of this. As I mentioned above, I am drawn to eco-literature right now and if you are finding yourself interested in reading more of it also, I can highly recommend you add Repentance to your reading list. It is, in my opinion, a brilliant read.
Thanks is extended to Scribe Publications for providing me with a copy of Repentance for review.
Eco-literature has become one of my favourite sub-genres over the last year and this novel was just sublime. It ebbed and flowed like a gentle stream and even when it was at its most dramatic, there was a stillness to it that allowed you to really sink in and appreciate Alison’s beautiful writing and superb characterisation. I absolutely loved this novel.
Set in a small country town whose primary industries are logging, dairy and beef production, the story spans months across 1976 and pivots around a protest against logging that arises from new residents (hippies) mounting a campaign to ‘save the forest’. Inevitably, the majority of locals find themselves pitted against the hippies but this is not just an ‘us against them’ sort of story. Alison writes from quite a few different perspectives, even incorporating an omniscient rainforest/nature viewpoint inserted every so often between chapters. The holistic style of this novel allows the reader to be fully informed of all sides and fully invested in the lives of all affected. I found it impossible to take sides and I also gained a lot of insight, particularly from the logging perspective, that surprised me. And that’s what I loved so much about this novel, the characterisation, the way the characters drove the narrative and stayed the course. This is a fine example of accessible and engaging literary fiction.
There was such a ‘slice of life’ aspect to this novel that enhanced my appreciation for it. Australia in the 1970s was perfectly captured and that essence of familiarity was evident all the way through. In many ways this is a quiet novel, although there were certainly spikes in drama, but it wasn’t given to moments of melodrama, it’s scenes of high action all the more impactful because of this. As I mentioned above, I am drawn to eco-literature right now and if you are finding yourself interested in reading more of it also, I can highly recommend you add Repentance to your reading list. It is, in my opinion, a brilliant read.
Thanks is extended to Scribe Publications for providing me with a copy of Repentance for review.
Read
March 23, 2021A fierce, fair, and moving novel, so true you can smell the rainforest.
Robert Drewe
Repentance vividly captures the past but speaks urgently to readers right now.
Debra Adelaide
Irresistible, compassionate, and timely.
Mark Tredinnick
Moves like a meditation, reflecting the rhythms of the natural landscape that Gibbs writes about so beautifully.Deborah Crabtree, Books+Publishing
There are moments of great beauty in this novel. Gibbs describes the bush with a knowing eye. There are also scenes where, inevitably, violence erupts between hippy protesters and those who want them out of the forests and out of town. These positions lead to a climax of confrontation which is arresting and memorable. The result shows the title of this novel is entirely apt.
Christopher Bantick, The Weekly Times
Timely and atmospheric.
Gemma Nisbet, The West Australian
[A] fresh and captivating read … Repentance is an incredible novel that puts you right in the middle of a town conflict, giving the reader a chance to explore the dynamics and hardships of what life is like in a smaller community. With detailed depictions of both the rainforest and farmlands, Gibbs has captured a beautiful snapshot of Australia’s past.
Good Reading
Repentance is a quaint story, one offering a look into a pivotal time of Australian history.
Jack Callil, The Guardian
The novel describes a time of high social upheaval … Where humans fit into the ecosystem, and how firmly or lightly we should tread, is a divisive and fascinating topic, and this is a note that examines these questions with creativity and refreshing open-mindedness.
Louise Swinn, The Saturday Paper
Here is a novel that takes you deep into the landscape commonly known as the great outback, the true blue Aussie heartland … The story of what is right and wrong in how we care for our environment is also a story of family, filial piety and love. Isn’t that what all the greatest stories are about?
Jessie Tu, Sydney Morning Herald
Evocative … Gibbs gives a voice to all factions, including local wildlife in brief, intense interludes among the ants, beetles, spiders, giant crickets that share the forest.
Katherine England, The Advertiser
Repentance is a thoughtful novel set in 1970s Australia, when environmental politics began to develop into an important movement … An eminently readable novel bringing a significant period in Australian history to life, Repentance is a fascinating debut, both multi-faceted and assured.
Penelope Cottier, The Canberra Times
Robert Drewe
Repentance vividly captures the past but speaks urgently to readers right now.
Debra Adelaide
Irresistible, compassionate, and timely.
Mark Tredinnick
Moves like a meditation, reflecting the rhythms of the natural landscape that Gibbs writes about so beautifully.Deborah Crabtree, Books+Publishing
There are moments of great beauty in this novel. Gibbs describes the bush with a knowing eye. There are also scenes where, inevitably, violence erupts between hippy protesters and those who want them out of the forests and out of town. These positions lead to a climax of confrontation which is arresting and memorable. The result shows the title of this novel is entirely apt.
Christopher Bantick, The Weekly Times
Timely and atmospheric.
Gemma Nisbet, The West Australian
[A] fresh and captivating read … Repentance is an incredible novel that puts you right in the middle of a town conflict, giving the reader a chance to explore the dynamics and hardships of what life is like in a smaller community. With detailed depictions of both the rainforest and farmlands, Gibbs has captured a beautiful snapshot of Australia’s past.
Good Reading
Repentance is a quaint story, one offering a look into a pivotal time of Australian history.
Jack Callil, The Guardian
The novel describes a time of high social upheaval … Where humans fit into the ecosystem, and how firmly or lightly we should tread, is a divisive and fascinating topic, and this is a note that examines these questions with creativity and refreshing open-mindedness.
Louise Swinn, The Saturday Paper
Here is a novel that takes you deep into the landscape commonly known as the great outback, the true blue Aussie heartland … The story of what is right and wrong in how we care for our environment is also a story of family, filial piety and love. Isn’t that what all the greatest stories are about?
Jessie Tu, Sydney Morning Herald
Evocative … Gibbs gives a voice to all factions, including local wildlife in brief, intense interludes among the ants, beetles, spiders, giant crickets that share the forest.
Katherine England, The Advertiser
Repentance is a thoughtful novel set in 1970s Australia, when environmental politics began to develop into an important movement … An eminently readable novel bringing a significant period in Australian history to life, Repentance is a fascinating debut, both multi-faceted and assured.
Penelope Cottier, The Canberra Times
July 21, 2021
It may be because I lived in this part of the world around the time the book is set that impressions I'm left with about it remain so strong. The memories of place, of the heat, the insects, the smell of decaying forest floors, the cloying grip of humidity before a storm... It came back to me so vividly as I read the story.
And I knew people just like the characters described by the author: hippies, rednecks, locals who'd 'gone green', environmentalists who were like New Age green evangelists, green radical blow-ins who brought the despair of Europe's environmental disasters to our consciousness, dropouts and those fleeing bad marriages, city life, commercialism, locals trying to hold onto whatever they could to keep traditions alive and hold off the social and economic change that would inevitably force them to give up generations of logging, dairying, or other traditional farming pursuits.
They're all here in Repentance. And as I just roll out that cast of characters, it's kind of obvious as to why things got so crazy in that post Aquarius Festival world that grew up in places like Nimbin, Tuntable Creek, The Channon, and the forests around them. It really was the perfect fuel for a social and ideological incendiary event.
But Alison's story is not just about the politics of the forest or the clash of cultures of 'greenness' and traditional rural farming communities, it's a story that focusses down on the smaller, more poignant things inside that larger world. The relationships between family members watching their mother and wife die, the grief a local forester feels knowing he is the end of the tradition of working the land, the complexities of love, sex and longing in a world suffused with ideology. Through it all is the sense that all the big stuff 'worth fighting for' means nothing if we risk losing those we most love.
You may not have been there but Repentance will bring it to you: the spectacular beauty of the forest, the birds calling in a camouflage of deep green in steep gullies, the sticky heat on warm nights, the smell of patchouli, sarongs, sunshine and chanting. If you go to the Far North Coast and take the road out to Nimbin or up through the back roads to Kyogle or Minyon Falls you'll see it. It's still there in places and the drama of the culture clash in it has been brought to life in Alison's careful portrayal of events in those heady times.
And I knew people just like the characters described by the author: hippies, rednecks, locals who'd 'gone green', environmentalists who were like New Age green evangelists, green radical blow-ins who brought the despair of Europe's environmental disasters to our consciousness, dropouts and those fleeing bad marriages, city life, commercialism, locals trying to hold onto whatever they could to keep traditions alive and hold off the social and economic change that would inevitably force them to give up generations of logging, dairying, or other traditional farming pursuits.
They're all here in Repentance. And as I just roll out that cast of characters, it's kind of obvious as to why things got so crazy in that post Aquarius Festival world that grew up in places like Nimbin, Tuntable Creek, The Channon, and the forests around them. It really was the perfect fuel for a social and ideological incendiary event.
But Alison's story is not just about the politics of the forest or the clash of cultures of 'greenness' and traditional rural farming communities, it's a story that focusses down on the smaller, more poignant things inside that larger world. The relationships between family members watching their mother and wife die, the grief a local forester feels knowing he is the end of the tradition of working the land, the complexities of love, sex and longing in a world suffused with ideology. Through it all is the sense that all the big stuff 'worth fighting for' means nothing if we risk losing those we most love.
You may not have been there but Repentance will bring it to you: the spectacular beauty of the forest, the birds calling in a camouflage of deep green in steep gullies, the sticky heat on warm nights, the smell of patchouli, sarongs, sunshine and chanting. If you go to the Far North Coast and take the road out to Nimbin or up through the back roads to Kyogle or Minyon Falls you'll see it. It's still there in places and the drama of the culture clash in it has been brought to life in Alison's careful portrayal of events in those heady times.
November 7, 2021
Just plain wonderful.
An enthralling read, for the beautiful writing and great story-telling. As one who has lived in the Northern Rivers for the last 27 years, I loved that the author got it all so right. I also love the way she didn’t take sides between environmentalists and forestry workers, but understood both mind-sets, and showed the full humanity of her characters.
An enthralling read, for the beautiful writing and great story-telling. As one who has lived in the Northern Rivers for the last 27 years, I loved that the author got it all so right. I also love the way she didn’t take sides between environmentalists and forestry workers, but understood both mind-sets, and showed the full humanity of her characters.
August 15, 2021
Great first novel. Very interesting for me as I live in the area and I have been aware of the Blockade and the whole environmental movement in the 70s. I enjoyed reading it. It needs a good editor, lots of editorial mistakes.
August 7, 2021
A well written, slow moving, character driven book that kept most of the conventional action to the end of the book.
A story of a community about to face massive change - it seems to be a suitable book for these strange days.
SM
A story of a community about to face massive change - it seems to be a suitable book for these strange days.
SM
July 16, 2021
Repentance, transports the reader into the North Coast hinterland, of the 1970’s. The setting for the story is rich and vibrant with significant detail and description, little things like the town noticeboard, the afternoon tea, the rainforest, are all impeccable and precise!
Times are a changing, but what of those eternal anchors of nature, family and industry. The entanglements of family and legacy juxtaposed against nature and economy. This book was one of those reads that became my friend and I was sad when I reached last page, I was immersed in the community and didn’t want to leave. A compelling read as part of our ongoing conversation regarding the rainforest of life.
Highly Recommend this read!
Times are a changing, but what of those eternal anchors of nature, family and industry. The entanglements of family and legacy juxtaposed against nature and economy. This book was one of those reads that became my friend and I was sad when I reached last page, I was immersed in the community and didn’t want to leave. A compelling read as part of our ongoing conversation regarding the rainforest of life.
Highly Recommend this read!
April 2, 2021
Hmm - just interesting enough to keep me reading, just dull enough to think - why did I persist with that? Showed a lot of promise, but never really delivered.
July 1, 2022
A good debut. Interesting local issues
March 11, 2021
i have to say, and I realise that the author would have little to no say in the cover design, but DAMN, this book has an ugly cover. I'm glad I picked this up regardless, as I'm trying to read more aussie authors this year, this was just really good.
something interesting to note, is that quite a few books i've read recently remind me of dworkin's fiction work, mercy, which I read last year. there is one point of the book, in which the protag is working for an anti-fascist organisation, typing up leaflets and such, and the way the overwhelmingly male group viewed women terrified me. there is two quotes in particular that stick with me.... "i thought he loved everyone. and if he hated women and everyone knew it how come they were so nice to him because hate wasn't nonviolence", and on the following page "these pacifists really cared about violence and they never would turn their backs on violence. they cared about social justice. they cared about peace. they cared about racism. they cared about poverty. they cared about everything bad that happened to people. it was confusing that they didn't care about rape [of women], or thought it was a joke". in many different contexts, where a group is seen as 'revolutionary' or 'radical', the groups foundation is firmly planted within misogyny. I don't know if that was the authors intention in this work, but it definitely featured here, with the male head of the group provoking fear within the women cohort of him breaking out into violence against them. just something interesting to think about.
something interesting to note, is that quite a few books i've read recently remind me of dworkin's fiction work, mercy, which I read last year. there is one point of the book, in which the protag is working for an anti-fascist organisation, typing up leaflets and such, and the way the overwhelmingly male group viewed women terrified me. there is two quotes in particular that stick with me.... "i thought he loved everyone. and if he hated women and everyone knew it how come they were so nice to him because hate wasn't nonviolence", and on the following page "these pacifists really cared about violence and they never would turn their backs on violence. they cared about social justice. they cared about peace. they cared about racism. they cared about poverty. they cared about everything bad that happened to people. it was confusing that they didn't care about rape [of women], or thought it was a joke". in many different contexts, where a group is seen as 'revolutionary' or 'radical', the groups foundation is firmly planted within misogyny. I don't know if that was the authors intention in this work, but it definitely featured here, with the male head of the group provoking fear within the women cohort of him breaking out into violence against them. just something interesting to think about.
September 2, 2021
Nostalgic, beautifully written. This book transported me back to my childhood where hippies and loggers were part of the everyday fabric of our lives. Something I didn’t completely understand as a child but, as an adult, Alison Gibbs has brought back those memories with vivid clarity. I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone who likes a story that has strong characters but is not contrived. or predictable. The characters are beautifully portrayed and I did not want the story to end. I hope Alison has a sequel up her sleeve but if not, Repentance is such a wonderful story that I’ll have to be content spending hours thinking about what happens next! Highly recommended!!
August 25, 2021
This booked evoked so many childhood memories, even though my youth was spent in the South Island of NZ. The resource intensive towns, the sounds and smells of the forest, the ever-changing weather, right down to the descriptions of the town and the shops. It transported me back to a place that was so familiar and yet so distant, through the perspective of people who are not like me at all, but with whom I could closely relate. Highly recommended.
April 17, 2021
Is anyone else deeply confused by the ending? I need answers. Or at least someone else’s take. Please give me your thoughts.
July 31, 2025
Gorgeous prose! Such vivid storytelling that I felt like I was there. Loved the interludes - so clever!
August 26, 2025
Slow and anticlimactic. Not sure why I persisted.
March 26, 2021
Quite good, but a little boring. Very well handled & balanced theme of conflict between forestry workers & environmentalists - I "changed sides" several times through my reading. I don't mind books that meander a bit, but this one seemed to run out of steam half-way though. I also didn't "feel" the time-setting in the mid 1970s.
May 7, 2021
Repentance is a very Australian book focussed on a very Australian country town called Repentance. Set in 1976 it focuses on a time of change in this small community. The old families are traditionally involved in the timber industry. However there are more and more newcomers to the town. The so-called “hippies” are upsetting some of the town’s original inhabitants as it becomes clear that there is a protest building against a new logging site.
The book is told from two perspectives. Thirteen year old Joanne Parmenter is finding the changes in her life hard to understand. Her mother is dying of cancer and she has some unpleasant interactions with some of the hippies as she works the counter at her father’s shop after school.
Linda Curtis has recently arrived with her daughter Melanie and is staying in a rented farmhouse along with several other hippies including Gerard who is taking the lead in the logging protests. When Melanie and Joanne are paired up to completed a school project together it sets in motion a series of interactions between the two families that will forever impact Joanne. A confrontation in the forest between loggers and protesters seems inevitable and looms with increasing urgency.
This was a quietly written book focused on social changes in country Australia. The upheaval created as traditional ways butt up against new ideas of how humans should be treading on the land was explored. The characters of the town both new and old were brought to life by author Alison Gibbs as was the beautiful forest surrounding the town.
An interesting addition to the structure of the book was occasional short chapters named largely for insect species (beetles, ants, spiders). These seven very short chapters about the insects in the environment were beautifully written but they were so infrequently interspersed amongst the rest of the story their impact was a little lost.
Overall Repentance was an enjoyable book that kept me reading to see what would happen.
Thank you @scribpub for my #freegift copy of this book.
The book is told from two perspectives. Thirteen year old Joanne Parmenter is finding the changes in her life hard to understand. Her mother is dying of cancer and she has some unpleasant interactions with some of the hippies as she works the counter at her father’s shop after school.
Linda Curtis has recently arrived with her daughter Melanie and is staying in a rented farmhouse along with several other hippies including Gerard who is taking the lead in the logging protests. When Melanie and Joanne are paired up to completed a school project together it sets in motion a series of interactions between the two families that will forever impact Joanne. A confrontation in the forest between loggers and protesters seems inevitable and looms with increasing urgency.
This was a quietly written book focused on social changes in country Australia. The upheaval created as traditional ways butt up against new ideas of how humans should be treading on the land was explored. The characters of the town both new and old were brought to life by author Alison Gibbs as was the beautiful forest surrounding the town.
An interesting addition to the structure of the book was occasional short chapters named largely for insect species (beetles, ants, spiders). These seven very short chapters about the insects in the environment were beautifully written but they were so infrequently interspersed amongst the rest of the story their impact was a little lost.
Overall Repentance was an enjoyable book that kept me reading to see what would happen.
Thank you @scribpub for my #freegift copy of this book.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews