Jimmie Blacksmith is a half caste Aborigine raised by a Mission family to have white man’s goals and ideals – steady work, land, and a white wife. But white man wants Jimmie to fail by not paying fairly for work that he has done, not giving him a ‘fair’ go and eventually by trying to starve him off the land. After years of injustice Jimmie reaches breaking point and reeks a terrible vengeance.
Loosely based on the true story of Jimmie Governor, it didn’t capture my imagination at first but as the story evolved I found I couldn’t put it down.
Reading a critical essay on the differences between the movie, the book and the real story, it was interesting to note that Jimmie Governor had not been a mission child, but had grown up with his family who liked to keep to themselves. Therefore his work values and goals were those of his family, and were not instilled in him by white man.
In 1972, when this novel was written Keneally believed that Aborigines were comfortable for a white man to tell their stories. However, in an article published in The Age newspaper in 2001, Keneally is quoted as saying that "It would be insensitive to write from that point of view now."
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