Score

I first came across Outback Odyssey on social media and decided to give it a read. I was pleasantly surprised by how much depth there was beneath the adventure. The symbolism around Country, belonging, prejudice and Jimmy’s personal journey really stayed with me. I later noticed the book had received recognition through the International Impact Book Awards and a Human Rights Award nomination, which made sense after reading it. There’s much more going on in this story than I expected.

I read an interesting article by Amanda Smith today that made me think differently about Outback Odyssey and the comparison with To Kill a Mockingbird.

The two stories are obviously very different, but Amanda looks beyond that and explores something they may share — what happens when people begin to question the assumptions they have grown up with and start seeing others differently.

One line particularly stayed with me:

“They take very different roads, through different countries, histories and cultures. Yet perhaps they lead us towards the same place: a greater understanding of people we once saw only from a distance.”

I thought that was beautifully put.

The article is by Amanda Smith and is called Beyond Australia’s To Kill a Mockingbird: The Deeper Connection Between Two Very Different Novels. It’s on LinkedIn if anyone would like to read it.Outback Odyssey

Pat wrote: "I first came across Outback Odyssey on social media and decided to give it a read. I was pleasantly surprised by how much depth there was beneath the adventure. The symbolism around Country, belong..."

I first came across Outback Odyssey after seeing an interview with the author on PSI TV on YouTube. The story behind the book caught my attention, so I decided to give it a go.

I'm glad I did. Jimmy Brown comes to Australia from Yorkshire looking for a new life and ends up completely out of his depth in the Australian outback. There's history, adventure, mystery and quite a bit about Australia's past that I knew very little about.

I noticed Goodreads has it listed as “Coming of Age”, which surprised me. Jimmy certainly changes because of what happens to him, but I wouldn't call it a coming-of-age story. To me it's historical fiction and adventure.

I also liked that I couldn't always tell where the story was going, and the twist at the end was fascinating. I certainly didn't see that coming.

A very different Australian

If you’re after historical fiction that’s a bit different, I’d give Outback Odyssey a go. I thought I knew where the story was heading a couple of times and got it completely wrong. Plenty of Australian history in there, but it’s the mystery and the twists that kept me turning the pages. Definitely a hidden gem for me. Outback Odyssey is now sitting at:
#1 — Outback Australian Mystery
#1 — Australian Historical Fiction
#3 — Historical fiction: Australia
That #3 puts it on a list alongside The Thorn Birds, A Town Like Alice and Picnic at Hanging Rock.
If you’ve read Outback Odyssey, you can vote for it here:
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/3...