12+   Terra Nullius, the debut novel by Noongar woman Claire G. Coleman (Hachette Australia 2017), opens at a brisk pace:

Jacky was running. There was no thought in his head, only an intense drive to run. There was no sense he was getting anywhere, no plan, no destination, no future. All he had was a sense of what was behind him, what he was running from. Jacky was running.

Australia's Hidden History

For the first third of its 304 pages, the novel appears to be a tale of Australia's hidden Indigenous history. Of Settlers versus Natives. And the scenes and racist tones of the times can be challenging, such as this Settler letter from a graziers' association:

The only thing standing in our way, the main limitation to our growth is the depredations of the criminal, aggressive and intransigent Natives. So long as our livestock is not safe from the immoral and illegal actions of these primitives we will not be a real country. We call upon the government of the colony to assist us in the control of this menace. We need more police, with more discretionary powers. All Natives who endanger our livestock must be arrested and tried for that crime.

But, like all good writers, Coleman delivers a twist in Terra Nullius. For me, it wasn't so much a sudden unexpected twist. But more of a dawning realisation that things weren't quite as I thought they were. And it had me re-reading sections of the book, like tapping re-centre on Google Maps.

An Indigenous Perspective

Coleman's goal with her novel seems to be to help non-Indigenous Australians see the declaration of Terra Nullius and Australia's subsequent colonisation and settlement from an Indigenous perspective. And if this was her intent, then it worked for me!

As Coleman acknowledges in her Author's Note:

This novel is a work of pure fiction yet it was influenced both shallowly and deeply by Indigenous Australian survival narratives and works of post-colonial historical fiction.

Ambitious Debut

Part science fiction and part historical fiction, Terra Nullius is an ambitious debut novel. And Coleman provides a visceral and thought-provoking perspective on the history of Indigenous Australia.

Does the running Native, Jacky, avoid capture by the Settlers and Troopers? What might his destination be, and does he reach it? And what's the twist? 

I recommend you read Terra Nullius to find out!

© 2021 Robert Fairhead  

N.B. Coleman's twist in Terra Nullius inspired a short story I wrote for Furious Fiction in April 2021, The Lucky Country.