Living at the turn of century in Australia, two brothers, Tommy and Billy McBride, are only aware of the hardscrabble existence that is forced upon their family. Just as the drought is over, and Tommy and Billy should be relieved that they no longer have to struggle for water, their family is murdered. Believing that the former Aboriginal foreman is responsible for murders, the brothers are forced to ally with John Sullivan who urges them to avenge their family. Cunning as well as charismatic, John Sullivan will take the two brothers through the forbidden outback on a journey that will leave none unscathed...
ONLY KILLERS AND THIEVES by Paul Howarth deserves a careful and slow reading because there is a great deal of focus on psychological issues, and readers are given the chance to make up their own minds about the characters and their actions. The characters in this book are hard to love or hate; they are multifaceted. Some of the messages within this book are controversial, and they will definitely make readers think.
I will warn that ONLY KILLERS AND THIEVES is a tale that doesn't shy away from the raw and ugly sides of human nature and does contain scenes of violence towards humans and animals.
For a reader seeking a tale that is similar to the American Old West but also questions colonialism and whether or not gentle virtues are necessary or hindrance within the land of extremes, ONLY KILLERS AND THIEVES will definitely be a book to remember.
Two brothers are exposed to the brutal realities of life and
the seductive cruelty of power in this riveting debut
novelβa story of savagery and race, injustice and honor, set
in the untamed frontier of 1880s Australiaβreminiscent of
Philipp Meyerβs The Son and the novels of Cormac
McCarthy.
An epic tale of revenge and survival,
Only Killers and Thieves is a gripping and utterly
transporting debut, bringing to vivid life a colonial
Australia that bears a striking resemblance to the American
Wild West in its formative years.
It is 1885, and a
crippling drought threatens to ruin the McBride family.
Their land is parched, their cattle starving. When the rain
finally comes, it is a miracle that renews their hope for
survival. But returning home from an afternoon swimming at a
remote waterhole filled by the downpour, fourteen-year-old
Tommy and sixteen-year-old Billy meet with a shocking
tragedy.
Thirsting for vengeance against the man they
believe has wronged themβtheir former Aboriginal
stockmanβthe distraught brothers turn to the ruthless and
cunning John Sullivan, the wealthiest landowner in the
region and their fatherβs former employer. Sullivan gathers
a posse led by the dangerous and fascinating Inspector
Edmund Noone and his Queensland Native Police, an infamous
arm of British colonial power charged with the "dispersal"
of indigenous Australians to "protect" white settler rights.
As they ride across the barren outback in pursuit, their
harsh and horrifying journey will have a devastating impact
on Tommy, tormenting him for the rest of his lifeβand will
hold enduring consequences for a young country struggling to
come into its own.
Recreating a period of Australian
and British history as evocative and violent as the American
frontier era, Only Killers and Thieves is an
unforgettable story of family, guilt, empire, race, manhood,
and faith that combines the insightfulness of Philipp
Meyerβs The Son, the atmospheric beauty of Amanda
Coplinβs The Orchardist, and the raw storytelling
power of Ian McGuireβs The North Water.
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