| Summary Note |
1788, Gadigal country. On a steamy hot day in January, seven Aboriginal men, Elder statesmen representing the tribes from around Sydney, gather at Warrane. Ships of a type which have never seen before are anchored in the harbour. They meet to discuss their response to these Visitors. All day, they talk, argue, debate. Where are these Visitors from? What do they want? Might the Visitors just warra warra wai back to where they come from? Or should they be welcomed? Or - should they be made to leave? The decision of the men must be unanimous - and will have far-reaching implications for all. Throughout the day the weather is strange; with mammatus clouds, unbearable heat, and a pending thunderstorm... somewhere, trouble is brewing. From award-winning indigenous playwright, author and festival director, Jane Harrison, comes a reimagining of a crucial moment in Australia's history. Based on her smash-hit play of the same name that had a sold-out season in January 2020, this extraordinary novel is powerful, fresh, playful, audacious, imaginative and moving, a radical re-imagining of history and an unputdownable work of fiction - think Twelve Angry Men meets Lincoln in the Bardo, but with an authentic, earthy Australian humour. |
