On Cringila Hill (Noel Beddoe, UQP)

A gritty story about drug wars, drive-bys, sexual assault and long-buried secrets, Noel Beddoe’s latest novel draws loosely on real events and is set in and around the Wollongong suburb of Cringila Hill—a place where hope and choice for young people are in short supply. One of the most multiculturally diverse areas in New South Wales due to the large influx of migrants who were employed at the Port Kembla steelworks, this was once a thriving centre of industry. It’s different now. ‘You must confront certain matters, on Cringila Hill. Inevitably you’ll learn certain things about yourself which you may have been better off not knowing,’ says a character who knows it well. Drug dealers Piggy and Jimmy have formed a friendship that is strengthened when they witness the drive-by murder of Abdul, one of their peers, and Detective Winter feels a deep, personal commitment to solving the crime. Beddoe has convincingly built the novel’s tough, male-centric world using a big cast of characters and a wide range of voices depicting the intricacies of the community’s interracial tensions. In saying that, on occasion the dialogue didn’t always ring true for me. This is recommended for readers who enjoy part detective, part coming-of-age stories.

Paula Grunseit is a freelance journalist, editor and reviewer

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Category: Reviews