Author(s): Melissa Lucashenko

Australian Fiction | 2023 10 Oct New Release | 2024 Stella Prize Longlist | Staff Reviews

Two extraordinary Indigenous stories set five generations apart. When Mulanyin meets the beautiful Nita in Edenglassie, their saltwater people still outnumber the British. As colonial unrest peaks, Mulanyin dreams of taking his bride home to Yugambeh Country, but his plans for independence collide with white justice. Two centuries later, fiery activist Winona meets Dr Johnny. Together they care for obstinate centenarian Grannie Eddie, and sparks fly, but not always in the right direction. What nobody knows is how far the legacies of the past will reach into their modern lives. In this brilliant epic, Melissa Lucashenko torches Queensland's colonial myths, while reimagining an Australian future.

STAFF REVIEW

In 2024 Granny Eddie is visited in hospital by a mysterious presence. In 1854, young Mulanyin is falling in love and becoming a man.

These two stories unfold in parallel, and we soon discover that they are irrecoverably linked in this historical epic of a unique period in colonial Brisbane. 

Despite the violence and injustices pitted against its characters, 'Edenglassie' is brimming with Indigenous joy, humour, love and strength. I couldn't put it down!

—Eliza from Brunswick Street Bookstore