Official Review: Native Companions by Jenni Barnett

[kislany]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Native Companions" by Jenni Barnett.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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In Native Companions, Jenni Barnett brings us a collection of mythological tales about the Booran people of early Australia. The story starts with Rex Graham, an anthropology student eager to learn more about his past based on his grandmother’s Aboriginal origins. He is writing his Doctoral thesis featuring early Aboriginal history and culture, after a promise he made to his dying grandmother.

As I know little about Australia’s history, I found these stories set in ancient times engaging and, despite being fabled, educational. They loosely follow the Booran people across different time periods, all linked through a gigantic memory tree, Gran Yan. While Rex is sleeping under the tree, he enters a dreamlike state where he experiences the tree telling the stories. Through them, he learns the history and traditions of his people and goes on a spiritual journey of self-discovery.

The characters were well fleshed-out, and I particularly enjoyed the story of the two twin brothers, Brolga and Kaii. I found their tale fascinating. They belonged to the Mullian tribe, and after their own people perished, they were rescued and adopted by the Booran. Willie was another main character that featured in several stories, and I enjoyed reading about him. Some details in the book about the characters were quite charming. For example, when Willie’s calves twitched, he knew his friends were thinking of him. This was one aspect of the book I found intriguing: the people could communicate – or at least feel each other – from far away.

As a nice touch, the author included drawings of various scenes described in the book which made the story more engaging and easier to visualize, especially when depicting crucial episodes in the history of the Aboriginal people.

While the stories themselves were interesting to read, I was not very enthralled by the writing itself. The book had almost no dialogue, so we experienced most of what happened through the author’s eyes rather than the characters’ direct interactions. A book including page after page of descriptions can, potentially, make for tedious reading. Often it felt like more like a dissertation or a treatise than a novel. Once I got used to the author’s descriptive language, I eased into the story and learned to enjoy each mythical tale.

Another aspect I found disconcerting with the book was the number of modern-time references that didn’t match the history of those ancient times. How would the indigenous people know terminologies such as toxins in the body, cereal carbohydrate foods, protein-rich foods, low-fat foods, lean game meat, and vitamin and mineral deficiencies, when these are contemporary concepts that scientists are still researching today?

I only found a few grammatical errors in the book, so the manuscript was well edited. However, as the issues mentioned above kept pulling me out of the story, I give Native Companions 3 out of 4 stars. I recommend it to anyone interested in world mythology with a focus on native Australia. If you enjoy action-packed and fast-paced books with plenty of suspenseful dialogue, this collection of stories might not be for you.

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Native Companions
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[Letora]

I love learning about other countries and folklore like tales. This sounds like a great chance to learn a little more about Australia and be entertained at the same time. I do wonder though why the author chose to use modern day references in the ancient stories. Great review!

[Gathoni1991]

The Aborigines of Australia are a group of people I would be delighted to learn more about. Nice review

[kdstrack]

The historical information sounds intriguing, and I also find the telepathic connections interesting. The modern concepts that are included would through you off! It almost sounds more like a textbook than a novel. I appreciate your comments about the book and the format. Thanks.

[SpiritPhoenix]

Wow! I've never even heard of the term Booran. But I'm always interested to know about different cultures, and coupled with their mythological tales, this sounds like the perfect way for me to educate myself. Thank you for the review.