THE WHITE GIRL

In this novel by Indigenous Australian author Birch, generational trauma and healing are explored through the lives of a dark-skinned woman and her light-skinned granddaughter.

Odette Brown is the proverbial strong Black woman, but that's where simple categorizations cease. Odette’s daughter, Lila, abandoned her own toddler more than a decade ago, leaving the light-skinned girl in Odette’s care. Now Sissy is on the verge of her teenage years, having known only the love and protection of her grandmother, and a rigid new officer, Sgt. Lowe, has arrived to run the local police station. Unlike the old guard, which was content leaving well enough alone, this new lawman is a zealot, convinced of the righteousness of his cause, which spells trouble for Odette and Sissy. They’re Aboriginals, and with her mother gone, Sissy should fall under the guardianship of the state, a policy that Lowe intends to enforce. The shameful true history of Australia’s racist policies of the early- and mid-20th century is presented in part through Odette’s story but also through snippets about other families torn apart by this disastrous program as Birch shines a light on the countless untold stories of the Stolen Generation. With accessible prose and a driving plot, Birch brings the period to life, and the depth and realism of the characters give the book a feeling of authenticity. Odette's dogged resolve is matched by the kindness and bravery of her supporters, both White and Black, as she and Sissy fight to stay together. Birch plumbs the murk for a story that’s all heart.

An uplifting novel that celebrates love, family, and the women who put those qualities first in their lives.