They present their armour to the world, but underneath we catch glimpses of their soft and vulnerable underbellies. The Salter family has suffered and is suffering, but its people are not downtrodden or lost or vanquished.
And she does this with such humour, such dark and funny wit, such outrageous and cinematic scenarios, that we cannot help but laugh out loud even while we’re cringing with embarrassment, even while the inevitable despondency descends. Just as she immerses us in the most terrible incidents of violence, she lifts us up with the strength of family ties, with the clarity of connection and belonging. But just as she sweeps us up in the injustice and futility of our nation’s past, she takes the sting from the tail with small moments of honour and faith, small acts of love and sacrifice. This book pulls no punches, and the author makes abundantly clear her rage at what has occurred, her absolute abhorrence of the treatment of her ancestors (she is of Bundjalung and European heritage). For while this story is ostensibly about Kerry Salter and her family, on a deeper level it is about so much more. Yes, I’m talking about colonisation (or invasion) and massacres, about slavery and stolen land and stolen children, about one group of people attempting to systematically crush the spirit of another. It is a book that doesn’t waste time asking questions such as why and how, but instead jumps straight in and provides the answers by depicting the effects of history. But it is also a book that offers important cultural and historical insights into intergenerational trauma and abuse. It is an unflinching, raw and honest exploration of one modern-day (fictional) Aboriginal family, with all its flaws and problems.
This is a hard review to write, or rather, it is difficult to express myself in the right way. I finished reading Too Much Lip (UQP 2018) by Goorie author Melissa Lucashenko, and have spent yesterday and today fiddling around with this review, adding bits here and there, trying to get it right and not feeling very successful.
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