Jasper Jones

Set in 1965, Craig Silvey has written a coming of age novel set in a remote Western Australian mining town. Thirteen year old Charlie Bucktin recounts the events that resulted from a knock on his bedroom window one night when Jasper Jones asked for his help. Charlie agrees to go with Jasper and they discover the body of a sister of a friend hidden in the bush. If they go to the police they know that Jasper will be accused of murder because he has Aboriginal heritage. They therefore decide to hide the body while attempting to determine who the killer might be.

Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey is largely a book about relationships, often in dysfunctional families. It is soon obvious that the town has many secrets and the situation becomes worse with the fear that other crimes have / might occur. Trying to discover the truth proves to be a challenge. Meanwhile Charlie strives to maintain his friendship with his best fried, Jeffrey Lu, whose family are refugees from South Vietnam, as well as with Eliza, a girl he admires. Most of the story occurs in the summer holidays, however, Charlie also attempts to reduce the bullying that he encounters from a group of fellow students.

The novel Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey was published in 2009. It won the Australian Book Industry Awards Book of the Year for 2010, Indie Book of the Year Award and the Western Australian Premier's Book Award for Fiction. It was shortlisted for the Miles Franklin award and a number of other awards. Jasper Jones was produced as a play in 2024 and was released as a film in 2017.