The lead character of the book is Doctor Wooreddy, a member of a tribe that once occupied modern day Tasmania. His story tells of the death and cultural devastation brought on his people by the arrival of the “ghosts” – white colonizers from Great Britain, mainly convicts, as Australia was primarily a penal colony. The lead English character is a Mister Robinson, a missionary who thinks he is being helpful by bringing the natives to “civilization” and “Christianity,” In truth; Mister Robinson is a textbook example of a clueless “do-gooder” with an underlying personal ambition of securing a government pension to retire back to England with.
From a literary standpoint, the imagery of the book is wonderful, as the author, through his native characters, coins terms to describe what is happening to them.
From a history/anthropology perspective, there is little new here. The stories told all have counterparts in the history of native peoples everywhere. If you have read Trail of Tears by John Ehle, Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee by Dee Brown and James Mooney’s excellent Ghost Dance, then you’ve got the picture; though since most people know little about the early history of Australia, it remains a worthwhile read.
One of the most interesting chapters of the book occurs near the conclusion. As “the ending of the world” is approaching, two of the main native characters escape from Mister Robinson’s “civilizing” influence and return to the land. They are from different tribes with different religious beliefs, particularly as it relates to origin and the "location" of a supreme being. Their respectful discussions on comparative religion could be a lesson for the “civilized” world.
