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'Jono, a city-born Indigenous teenager is trying to figure out who he really is. Life in Brisbane hasn't exactly made him feel connected to his Country or community. Luckily, he's got his best friend, Jenny, who has been by his side through their hectic days at St Lucia Private.
'After graduating, Jono and Jenny score gigs at the Aboriginal Performing Arts Centre and an incredible opportunity comes knocking - interning with a documentary crew. Their mission? To promote a big government mining project in the wild western Queensland desert. The catch? The details are sketchy, and the land is rumoured to be sacred. But who cares? Jono is stoked just to be part of something meaningful. Plus, he gets to be the lead presenter!
'Life takes a turn when they land in Gambari, a tiny rural town far from the hustle and bustle of the city. Suddenly, Jono's intuition becomes his best guide. He's haunted by an eerie omen of death, battling suffocating panic attacks, and even experiencing visions of Wudun - a malevolent spirit from the Dreaming. What's the real story behind the gas mining venture? Are the documentary crew hiding something from Jono? And could Wudun be a messenger from the land, fighting back against the invasion?
'Borderland is a heart-pounding horror gothic that follows Jono on an epic quest to find himself in the face of unbelievable challenges. Graham Akhurst, the brilliant mind behind this coming-of-age gem, is a Fulbright scholar from the Kokomini of Northern Queensland. Brace yourself for a fresh, mind-bending tale exploring Indigenous identity, the impact of colonization, and what happens when you take a stand.' (Publication summary)
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Other Formats
- Sound recording.
Works about this Work
-
Speak Louder : Three Young Adult Novels by Indigenous Writers
2024
single work
review
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , January - February no. 461 2024; (p. 43-44)
— Review of Burn 2023 single work novel ; We Didn't Think It Through 2023 single work novel ; Borderland 2023 single work novel -
Best Books of 2023 : Our Experts Share the Books That Have Stayed with Them
2023
single work
review
— Appears in: The Conversation , 5 December 2023;
— Review of Between Water and the Night Sky 2023 single work novel ; Graft : Motherhood, Family and a Year on the Land 2023 single work autobiography ; Borderland 2023 single work novel ; The Anniversary 2023 single work novel ; Wandering with Intent 2022 selected work essay ; Eventually Everything Connects 2023 selected work essay graphic novel -
Anne Brewster Reviews Borderland by Graham Akhurst
2023
single work
review
— Appears in: Mascara Literary Review , no. 29 2023;
— Review of Borderland 2023 single work novel'Graham Akhurst’s debut young adult novel Borderland is a tour de force. It is a coming-of-age story, set on the lands of the Turrbal, Yuggera and Gungarri people. We are introduced to Jonathan Lane, the first-person narrator, who has just graduated from St Lucia Private, an oppressive private secondary school where he had been a scholarship student. His time at St Lucia had not been an altogether happy experience for him. We are told that he ‘hated the attention he got for looking different and being poor in a school full of rich white kids’ (6). ' (Introduction)
-
Anne Brewster Reviews Borderland by Graham Akhurst
2023
single work
review
— Appears in: Mascara Literary Review , no. 29 2023;
— Review of Borderland 2023 single work novel'Graham Akhurst’s debut young adult novel Borderland is a tour de force. It is a coming-of-age story, set on the lands of the Turrbal, Yuggera and Gungarri people. We are introduced to Jonathan Lane, the first-person narrator, who has just graduated from St Lucia Private, an oppressive private secondary school where he had been a scholarship student. His time at St Lucia had not been an altogether happy experience for him. We are told that he ‘hated the attention he got for looking different and being poor in a school full of rich white kids’ (6). ' (Introduction)
-
Best Books of 2023 : Our Experts Share the Books That Have Stayed with Them
2023
single work
review
— Appears in: The Conversation , 5 December 2023;
— Review of Between Water and the Night Sky 2023 single work novel ; Graft : Motherhood, Family and a Year on the Land 2023 single work autobiography ; Borderland 2023 single work novel ; The Anniversary 2023 single work novel ; Wandering with Intent 2022 selected work essay ; Eventually Everything Connects 2023 selected work essay graphic novel -
Speak Louder : Three Young Adult Novels by Indigenous Writers
2024
single work
review
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , January - February no. 461 2024; (p. 43-44)
— Review of Burn 2023 single work novel ; We Didn't Think It Through 2023 single work novel ; Borderland 2023 single work novel
Awards
- 2024 CBCA Book of the Year Awards — Notable Book — Older Readers
- 2023 finalist Aurealis Awards for Excellence in Australian Speculative Fiction — Horror Division — Novel
- 2023 finalist Aurealis Awards for Excellence in Australian Speculative Fiction — Young Adult Division — Novel
- Brisbane, Queensland,