Joining a book club means that I get to read completely different books, ones I would never chose, like this one. But luckily I really enjoyed this and got into it. This is the 'true' story of Ned Kelly, the infamous outlaw/ highwayman/ bushranger from 1880s Australia. I never knew anything about him so I came to this story with no knowledge but now I have a vivid picture of him, his lifestyle and the harsh, yet beautiful land of NE Victoria. I also feel I have seen the realities of starting up farms , or selections, as they were called, when you are first generation, poor Australians. These were young kids in their late teens with mothers and fathers who were often seriously physically and mentally scared from their years as convicts in Van Diemans Land, Tasmania, given scraggy bits of land to build their farms. Life is tough, very tough, and often the local police and high ranking officials are just out to lock up these ' scoundrels' and rid the land of these free ranging, villainous vermin.
Ned's life is tough. His Irish father is totally scarred from his awful treatment in prison( and ends up being locked up again for a crime he never commit.) his Ma is a bright, wild, Irish woman who runs illegal pubs in the back of their shack. Kids keep being born and different men take over the father role but at the age of 11 Ned leaves school.( I love the description of his primary years at school, he saves a boy from drowning and really enjoys being the ink well monitor at school. In a different world he might have grown up to pass exams and become educated. Anyway, his mother sells her older son to Harry Power and he starts to lead the life of a bushranger. Ned's mum wants her older son out of the way. Ned's desire to protect his Mum is getting on her nerves. She wants to marry a guy who Ned doesn't like and needs him out of the way.
Now, Harry Power is much older but Ned is the brains, he can kill, skin and cook any animal which crosses his path and can build temporary shacks quickly, whereas Harry seems lazy and a bit stupid. But he successfully grooms Ned and turns him into the talented outlaw he becomes. Infact the underlying theme of this book is how adults have the power to shape kids into what they become in the future.
I love all the stories the guys tell each other and the jokes they share and the bare knuckle fighting. ( I love descriptions of boxing. What the hell is wrong with me?!) The descriptions are so good I really felt I had been transported to the outback. Infact secretly I wanted to be with them, living their crazy, mental lives. These guys are all nuts and hard as nails but they are nothing more than a product of their harsh environment. Tarred with the brush of the crimes of their parents their loyalty to each other is amazing. And through Peter Carry's ability to put us under the spell of Ned' s true history from his own hand ,you really believe everything he says. This is a story that Ned must tell to his newly born daughter. He wants her to know the truth of his life and Carey writes in a style which is very honest but also lacks any commas and is more like a brain splurge on a page. This style obviously makes the story even more realistic because you feel you are right inside Ned's head. He explains the reasons behind everything he has done and everything makes sense. NOTHING is his fault. He is just urgently putting his life down on paper so that he can tell the story of his life, in his words. ( a bit like a Clockwork Orange.) the style is unique, but yes, I liked it. I liked that the roughness of their characters came across strongly, as well as Ned's desire to clear the name of his Mother . The way Ned put his Mum on a pedestal was rather irritating for me. This woman was no saint and I had a strong feeling that the unquestioning love Ned had for her was not reciprocated. Anyway, great read. Much more fun than I thought it would be. I always think Booker winners will be a bit dry or worthy but this was just clever, fun and a great story. Plus I am a bit of a sucker for a bad man and it's far safer for me that they stay safely within the pages of a book!
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