Lystra Rose, The Upwelling, Lothian Children’s Books, August 2022, 387 pp., RRP $19.99 (pbk), ISBN 9780734420251
Lystra Rose is a descendant of the Guugu Yimithirr, Birri Gubba, Erub nations—from the Yugambeh-speaking country of South-East Queensland. The Upwelling is her debut novel, though she has world-wide fame already for being the first editor-in-chief of a mainstream surfing magazine, Surfing Life. And surfing plays its part in her YA fantasy novel, which features Kirra, a surfer on the Queensland coast in the present time who has a gift for seeing into the future.
Two other characters share the narration of this apocalyptic tale based upon knowledge embedded in Yugambeh Dreaming Stories. In another time, far back in history, the young tribal man, Narn, is trying to understand his attraction to Tarni. Narn deep- dives under the rocky cliffs at the sea edge. He uses heavy stones held to his chest to take him deeper and deeper. He lives in a time threatened by what seems to be a curse, perhaps engineered by a traitor, perhaps using the power of a great god, N’gian. And Tarni has been betrothed to a man from another tribe. Worse than this is her N’gian gift of understanding many languages. The women with such gifts are disappearing from the tribe.
When Kirra finds herself transported into this world, she will have to make sense of it, and work with Narn and Tarni to bring the world back from the brink. They will face many unexpected twists, turns and challenges along the way, and it will be a long time before Kirra can return to her family in Queensland.
This is a novel for any reader who loves fantasy, and for readers seeking to understand more about Aboriginal stories, languages, and values. Recommended for young people 13 to 15 years.
Reviewed by Kevin Brophy
