Locust Girl (Merlinda Bobis, Spinifex Press)

Set in a post-apocalyptic, colourless landscape, Locust Girl follows Amedea as she treks to the horizon to search for a better land promised to her by her dying father. She searches for water, food and colours. Though it marks her as touched by the plague, a locust buried in Amedea’s forehead sings to her the songs of her people and her past. The locust guides Amedea to water, which is made by an eyeless woman who cries the tears of hundreds of mothers who have lost their children to the fires. Initially shunned by those who fear her locust, Amedea brings hope and memories to those who have lost both. When she is captured and transported to the Kingdoms, she realises the truth behind the separation between the Haves and Have-Nots. Pitched as a modern fairytale, Locust Girl is not recommended for readers looking for a happy ending or a linear storyline. Locust Girl may appeal to those who have read and enjoyed The Girl with All the Gifts and The Passage, though it is not as fast-paced. Author Merlinda Bobis won the Most Underrated Book Award (MUBA) for her previous novel Fish-Hair Woman.

Louise Fay is the special orders manager at Dymocks Adelaide

Category: Reviews