Breathtaking... Swallow The Air

Swallow The Air
Written by Tara June Winch
Contemporary, Cultural, Diversity
10th Anniversary Edition Published January 1st 2016
216 Pages
Thank you to UQP
Add to Goodreads
★★★★★
When May’s mother dies suddenly, she and her brother Billy are taken in by Aunty. However, their loss leaves them both searching for their place in a world that doesn’t seem to want them. While Billy takes his own destructive path, May sets out to find her father and her Aboriginal identity.
Her journey leads her from the Australian east coast to the far north, but it is the people she meets, not the destinations, that teach her what it is to belong.

Swallow the Air is an unforgettable story of living in a torn world and finding the thread to help sew it back together.
Aboriginal girl May Gibson's mother tragically took her own life, leaving May and older brother Billy behind. The two now find themselves living with their Aunt, a woman dependent on alcohol and abused by her boyfriend until Billy defends the woman who took the two orphaned children into her home. Billy walked out, while May stayed behind to pick up what little hope remained.

We didn't talk about Mum or our Dad's or all the booze and shit around us, we knew the world in the same way that we knew each other, in the quietness than we shared.

May wants to feel a sense of family once more, her journey taking her back to her ancestral community where her mother once shared her stories. Along her path to family, May encounters others that will shape her, her experiences driving her further into the wide, red land.

Kelly's Thoughts

Swallow The Air is absolutely breathtaking. An emotional journey of Australia and it's indigenous community through the eyes of a young girl touched by sadness. Never have I felt so moved by any work of fiction. May was a character representative of aspects of our broken country, where Aboriginal communities are left behind while white society moves forward. Her struggle made my heart ache with grief, losing her mother at such a tender age and trying to find that sense of family once more.

The prose is lyrical, yet incredibly haunting. The vividness of May's journey from the mining Town of Wollongong to the far north of Australia truly is a love letter to outback Australia. She sees beauty in the land we take for granted while her vision without a doubt creating wanderlust in readers. Equally exposed to abuse as she is to the kindness strangers, May's spirit shines. She's determined and intelligent, but hasn't been given an opportunity for an education or carefree life that most children are now afforded, so seeks out the family she never knew to learn about herself and her heritage.

Even beyond the storyline, the writing is immaculate. A mixture of lyricism and stark rawness rarely seen in young adult fiction.

Daylight blanching our dreamings, the gritty air fuming back to our noses, engines starting back in our listening, and we remember what we're all really seeing. Beach lines of gutters, trunks of layered windows, metal wings fleeing the sky, and dinner on the stove. We don't mind, because anytime we can leave in our minds.

One of the realities May also faces is how Indigenous Australians can be treated by our police, authorities and our communities. May's life isn't a stereotype, she's a young woman that society as a whole has neglected, representing our traditional land owners that have been overlooked. May's journey to search for her white father makes for an incredibly emotional read, finding herself, finding who she is and rising above the issues that plague her community and forging her own path.

The Final Verdict

Swallow The Air is a must read, in particular for fellow Australians who love fictional stories that are true to life. May's story is heartbreaking, poignant and joyful and I loved each and every moment of her journey. It's a love letter to our wide, red land despite our issues and differences. Tara June Winch is a phenomenal author who places the reader on the road to self discovery along with May, where you will share the sadness and hope of this remarkable young lady.

Kelly loved Swallow The Air and urges you all to buy a copy. Or ten. If you need more diversity within your young adult, a quiet lyricism and a storyline that will stay with you long after the final page is turned, buy it.


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26 comments

  1. This book sounds so beautiful! I'm glad you enjoyed it!! I love coming of age stories that are a bit more realistic.That journey to find ones self can be expressed in so many ways and the writing is just beautiful. I also love exploring other places through books. I need more books by austrialian authors so far I just keeping reading books by Melissa Keil, lol. Fantastic Review!!

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    1. Melissa Keil is incredible isn't she. Have you read The Adventures of Cinnamon Girl? I absolutely loved that one.

      Swallow The Air is breathtaking Taylor, it's one of those books that I'd recommend to anyone who appreciates beautiful written and emotional contemporaries. You just know you've read something special.

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  2. This really does sound like a beautiful book. I'm not Australian, but I love books about diversity. I need this book in my life!

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    1. Sarah, lovely to see you again poppet. It's brilliant, even non Aussies will adore May's story. It's just a breathtaking and vivid read. I do hope you can pick up a copy, I'd love to see what you think.

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  3. Sounds like a wonderful read. I like books that focus well on diversity and it seems like this title does just that. I also really want to read more books set in Australia!

    -Lauren

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    1. Aussie YA fiction is just so incredible Lauren, there's nothing like it. It's raw, honest and it's realistic. I think every woman could see themselves within May, she's such a remarkable young woman. Strong, resilient and with an amazing spirit to her character.

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  4. This sounds gorgeous and really sad. And I really do need to get into more diverse reads by Aussie authors.

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    1. I've been seeking out as many as I can lately, I just feel as though by reading so man new releases and sticking to the same type of genres that I'm really missing out on the special books in our own backyards. This is is brilliant poppet, I'd love to see what you think of it.

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  5. Wow, high praise indeed and this sounds like an amazing book!

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    1. It's phenomenal. It's already been a few weeks since I've read it and it still plays on my mind. Aussies especially need a copy of this one, it will change the way you see our world.

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  6. this review is everything. i can tell how deeply moved you were by this book. <3

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    1. This book effected me in so profoundly Joy that I can't even capture that feelings with words.

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  7. I've never heard of this, but I admit that I am trying to branch out to different book genres and your high praise definitely put this on my radar :)

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    1. It's one of the most emotional and deepest books I've read Nereyda, not because it's poignant, because it shows such a resilience and strength to young women all over the world.

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  8. Okay, but this is so interesting. I haven't read much aboriginal fiction, let alone in such a compelling premise. Plus that writing, gosh. I'm adding this one to the TBR, thanks for the review!

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    1. I've been seeking more and more since reading this one Alyssa, it just really stirred in me the need for more diverse Aussie reads. My goodness I loved it and so excited that it's spurred you to add it to your reading list as well.

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  9. Kelly, have I mentioned how much I love it when you review and feature books that I've never heard of?
    This sounds phenomenal! Not only does the topic sound beyond interesting, but May's character and the gorgeous writing make me want to find myself a copy of this ASAP.
    Beautiful review, Kelly! I'm glad this ended up being such a powerful story for you.

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    1. Aww, thanks Nick. I love to review Aussie fiction especially as the wider audience we have here can find new reads that they may have never otherwise known about. It's so beautifully written that it reduced me to tears several times, making my heart ache. It's just such an awe inspiring read.

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  10. Sounds like one of those books that stays with you for ever. I better buy a few thousand cases of tissues when I buy the book. Wonderful review :-) <3 :-).

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    1. Thanks Sarah. It's beautiful and I can't wait to see what you think of it too.

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  11. Wow this sounds so amazing, I'm glad you loved it! I might have to give it a try one of these days. Great review! :D

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    1. Thanks Anissa and I really hope you take a chance on this one, it's so wonderfully written. Thanks for stopping by poppet.

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  12. Wow, this sounds gorgeous, Kelly! Your review makes me feel all emotional about it.

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    1. It really was Christy. One of my favourites already this year and one I'll be encouraging everyone to read as well.

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  13. This book definitely sounds like it's something that we need in Australia to share the worries and thoughts of Indigenous culture and everything. Lovely review Kelly!

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    1. Thanks Jeann. It truly was phenomenal. So lyrical and lovely, but raw and incredibly poignant at the same time. Breathtaking really.

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