Review & Giveaway: A Distant Land by Alison Booth

Title: A Distant Land {The Jingera Trilogy}

Published: Random House June 2012

Status: Read from June 15 to 17, 2013 — I own a copy {Courtesy the author}

My Thoughts:

While A Distant Land is the third book in Alison Booth’s Jingera trilogy, it works surprisingly well as a stand alone novel. Here, the focus is on Zidria Vincent and Jim Cadwallader, childhood friends now in their mid 20′s.

Zidria is an ambitious journalist for the Sydney Morning Chronicle and when her friend, aboriginal activist Lorna, approaches her about a policeman’s threats and blackmail attempts, Zidria is intrigued by the potential of the story. Finally, here is the exciting investigative opportunity she has been craving.

Jim is a correspondent in Cambodia, but he has had enough of the war zone and plans to return to Australia and accept a position with the Human Rights Center at Sydney University. However a colleague’s last minute crisis means Jim has to endure a few more weeks in Indochina, a fateful twist of chance that will change everything for him, and for Zidria.

Exploring the larger issues of human rights, civil liberties and antiwar sentiment, A Distant Land is an interesting and realistic portrait of the political and social unrest in 1970′s Australia. While aboriginals were agitating for land rights and the ‘commie’ threat had the government on edge, the war raging in Vietnam was attracting growing protest. These issues provide fertile ground for Booth to weave a story of suspense as Zidria works to expose the corrupt practices of the government and ASIO.

Amongst the national and international issues, Booth also explores the personal implications of the conflicts such as fear, loss and grief. Though Lorna is concerned by the threats of physical harm if she refuses to cooperate with the police, she is more afraid of their threats against her young sister and when Jim goes missing in Cambodia and is presumed dead, his family and Zidria grieve deeply.

I thought perhaps the romantic element – the relationship between Jim and Zidria – got a little lost within the story, partially because they spend little time together but also because the reticence of both Jim and Zidria in confessing their feelings didn’t seem to fit either their characters or their circumstances, though perhaps, had I read the previous two novels, it would have made more sense to me.

Regardless, I found A Distant Land to be a well crafted, interesting and enjoyable read. I found Zidria to be an appealing character and I particularly liked the era and the socio-political background in which the novel was set. I will definitely be keeping an eye out for the two previous novels in this trilogy, Stillwater Creek and The Indigo Sky.

Earlier today Alison Booth wrote about A Distant Land her at Book’d Out. Click here for more information.

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