Amnesia Road by Luke Stegemann

Amnesia Road : Landscape, Violence and Memory written by Luke Stegemann is a non-fiction book exploring the natural landscapes of both rural Australia and Spain, along with their histories. While a seemingly random pairing, the two countries share a common theme in their history: violence, which has been forgotten. Stegemann explores this through his book in a comprehensively literary way. These violent occurences range from massacres to civil war, both with untold victims.

This heavily detailed non-fiction work is filled with descriptive narrative for both history and landscape of Australia and Spain, as Stegemann has travelled the locations he writes about numerous times, in addition to researching the forgotten histories. More accurate telling of Australia's true history has been something the literary world has required for sometime, and Stegemann has done an admirable job in getting the specifics lined up. As the book progresses, more anecdotes and historical writings are included to give the book greater depth, with the book moving between personal narrative to historical retellings. This would be an ideal book for those researching the specific geographic areas, or honest information about Australia's sordid past - in particular the victims of settlers and foreign government taking over a land that was already inhabited. Perhaps those interested in reconcilation could pick this book up to learn some hard truths, as it is a brutally honest book, which is not suitable for younger readers.

Themes: Australian History; Spanish History; Australia; Spain; South West Queensland; Landscape; Rural Australia; Forgotten Histories.

Melanie Pages