A Short History of Longans (Mirandi Riwoe, UQP)

Mirandi Riwoe’s A Short History of Longans follows 4 members of the same family across 2 centuries, moving backwards through time from a climate-changed Queensland in 2049 to colonial New South Wales in 1849.

Each section of the book belongs to a different character: Daniel, the reclusive ceramicist, hiding from a troubled past; Wendy, a warm and funny writer navigating early dementia on New Year’s Day 2000; Ruby Wong, a Chinese Australian actress pursuing her Hollywood dreams in 1940s Los Angeles; and Maria Barrett, a young Irish orphan whose love affair with Chinese bushranger Ah Yang plants the roots of the entire family tree.

A Short History of Longans is a richly imagined meditation on ancestry, memory and belonging, exploring what survives across generations of disruption. The novel is particularly strong in its treatment of women navigating hostile worlds with resilience and quiet ingenuity.

While the reverse chronology is inventive, it leaves some threads – particularly the mystery surrounding Daniel’s past –unresolved, which may frustrate some readers seeking closure and, despite some small linking elements, can make the novel read more like a collection of short stories rather than a cohesive narrative. However, Riwoe moves between voices and eras with extraordinary assurance, and her prose is tender and evocative.

Recommended for readers who enjoyed Yaa Gyasi’s Homegoing, Min Jin Lee’s Pachinko, or Riwoe’s Stone Sky Gold Mountain.

Books+Publishing reviewer: Chloe Cooper is a freelance writer who has worked in the book industry for nearly 10 years as a librarian, bookseller and publishing sales manager. Books+Publishing is Australia’s number-one source of pre-publication book reviews.

Books+Publishing pre-publication reviews are supported by the Copyright Agency Cultural Fund.

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