Kimberley Sun

This is the second book by Di Morrissey set in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. The first was Tears of the Moon and her most recent book is The Red Coast. Kimberley Sun is a continuation of the story that began in Tears of the Moon with Lily Barton deciding to spend more and more time in Broome. Lily hopes that her daughter, Sami, will also come to love Broome and want to learn more about her family ties with this remote area of Australia.

Sami does travel to the Kimberley as part of the research for her university studies. In this book we learn about Sami and her friends in the outback and also about Lily's new endeavour to become involved in the pearling industry. A subplot of the book revolves around the discovery of an old artwork which may be linked with robberies and assaults in the town and also a murder. Art is a theme throughout many sections of the book. The story is also about relationships, gaining confidence in abilities and learning to trust decisions and also trust other people.

Once again the setting of Broome and the surrounding area is a feature of this book which I enjoyed reading just as much the second time as I did the first time.

Tears of the Moon

Di Morrissey wrote Tears of the Moon in 1995, the first of three books set in the Kimberley. The star of the novel is Broome and surrounding area. In 2012 we visited the Kimberley, particularly Broome and then north to Cape Leveque. As soon as we returned I borrowed a copy of Tears of the Moon, from the library and loved reading it. After recently reading The Red Coast I decided to read this book again and enjoyed it just as much as the first time.

There are two time frames in the book, 1995, when Lily decides to investigate her family history, particularly attempting to locote information about her mother, Georgiana's, family. This leads her to Broome where she discovers family information in diaries and exhibits held at the historical society. The diaries commence in 1893 and continue to 1953.

The diaries tell the story of Olivia Hennessy who travels from Englnd to the area south of Brrome with her husband, Conrad, to start a new life. Life in the outback is much tougher than they expected and eventually they move to Broome, after meeting Captain John Tyndall, to become involved in the pearling industry.

This novel is largely a love story but part of the book also deals with how people adapt to life living in an isolated community. Olivia's story describes the impact of two world wars as well as the 1930s depression on Broome's pearling industry . The dangers of the industryfeature as well as the success stories which can occur in this mutli-racial and multi-cultural community. Race relations including the interaction of the lives of aboriginal communities with the white and Asian communities who also make Broome home form an imprtant thread of the book.

Read on a number of levels Tears of the Moon is an Australian book well worth reading.

The Red Coast

In August 2006 we spent time in Broome, Cape Leveque as well as Lake Argyle and surrounding areas. We returned to Melbourne knowing that the Kimberley region of Western Australia is a special place.

This is the third book set in the Kimberley by Di Morrissey. The other two are Tears of the Moon (1995) and Kimberley Sun (2002). When I saw that a third book set in the Kimberley was published last year I just had to read it. I was not disappointed.

Jacqui Bouchard owns the bookshop in Broome, Red Coast Books. Although she has only lived in Broome for a few years she has made many good friends and has become part of the community. She also loves Broome and the surrounding region. Jacqui is an organiser of the Broome Literary Festival and much of her time and energy, along with the efforts of other committee members, is devoted to seeing that the festival is a success including ordering extra copies of books to be sold at the event.

When Jacqui's son, Jean Luc, visits her from France for his annual school holidays in Australia, Jacqui's friends help entertain Jean Luc and introduce him to Australian life and culture, including indigenous culture. Meanwhile Jacqui meets Cameron, a childhood friend who is secretive about why he has appeared in the region, and Damien, who is shooting a documentary film about the area.

The calm of living in Broome is broken when it is discovered that an off shore gas mining project is planned 60 km from the town. This creates division among friends and family as some support the project as it may provide economic opportunities while others are concerned about damage to the land, including indigenous sacred sites.

Di Morrissey obviously has enjoyed visiting this special part of Australia and in her novel weaves a story of love for country as well as love of individuals. Jacqui faces many dilemmas as the story unfolds as she tries to understand how she really wants her life to be.

A book worth reading. I am now going to reread the other two books by Di Morissey relating to Broome.

NB: A Google search produces links to a number of articles relating to offshore gas mining in the region near Broome. Two are listed below:

Broome and the gas hub - a town divided

Proposed Kimberley offshore gas base could 'gut' Broome economy