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Outback Odyssey belongs on this list for me. Set in 1950s Australia, it follows a young English migrant whose ideas about the country — and particularly its First Nations people — are challenged by what he experiences in the outback. It’s an Australian story about migration, prejudice, belonging and learning to see a country very differently from the way you were taught to see it.

One of the reasons I think Outback Odyssey deserves a place on this list is the conversation it has begun beyond the book itself. Rich Books Magazine recently explored its comparison with To Kill a Mockingbird, particularly the way both stories confront inherited prejudice and challenge the way we see others. The National Law Review has also covered the wider human-rights conversation surrounding the book.

For an Australian historical story set in the 1950s outback to be generating that kind of discussion internationally makes it an interesting addition to a list devoted to fictional Australia.

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 Outback Odysseythe story was going, and the twist at the end was fascinating. I certainly didn't see that coming.

A very different Australian story and well worth a read.Outback Odyssey