Legacy

Legacy follows a contemporary Indigenous Australian lawyer named Simone who confronts her family's complex history after the death of her father. As she processes her grief, she uncovers the story of her great-grandmother Garibooli, who was taken from her Aboriginal community in the 1920s. The narrative moves between two timelines - Simone's present-day life in Sydney and her great-grandmother's experiences during Australia's era of forced child removal. Through archives and family memories, Simone pieces together how government policies impacted multiple generations of her family. The parallels between past and present create a portrait of intergenerational trauma and resilience in Indigenous Australian families. This debut novel examines how history echoes through time while exploring questions of identity, belonging, and justice in modern Australia.

Readers value the novel's portrayal of intergenerational Aboriginal Australian experiences and its examination of identity struggles. Many note the book effectively weaves together the stories of multiple generations of women. Readers appreciated: - The dual narrative structure between past and present - Character development of both protagonists - Historical details about Indigenous Australian life - Exploration of cultural inheritance and loss - Clear, accessible writing style Common criticisms: - Some found the ending rushed - A few readers wanted more development of secondary characters - Several noted the present-day storyline felt less compelling than historical sections Ratings: Goodreads: 3.82/5 (174 ratings) Amazon: 4.2/5 (12 ratings) Representative reader comment: "The way Behrendt writes about Indigenous experiences and family connections feels authentic without being heavy-handed. The parallel stories complement each other well." - Goodreads reviewer

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🔖 Author Larissa Behrendt is a Eualeyai/Kamillaroi woman and was the first Indigenous Australian to graduate from Harvard Law School 🔖 The novel explores four generations of Indigenous Australian women, highlighting the intergenerational impact of colonialism and forced child removal policies 🔖 Legacy won the 2010 Victorian Premier's Literary Award for Indigenous Writing and was shortlisted for the Commonwealth Writers' Prize 🔖 The story draws parallels between Aboriginal dispossession in Australia and Native American experiences in the United States, reflecting Behrendt's legal studies in both countries 🔖 Beyond her work as a novelist, Behrendt is a Distinguished Professor at the University of Technology Sydney and has served as a land rights lawyer and Indigenous rights advocate