Em's Story

by Victor Kelleher

321 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1988

About the author

Victor Kelleher is an Australian author. Victor was born in London and moved to Africa with his parents, at the age of fifteen. He spent the next twenty years travelling and studying in Africa, before moving to New Zealand. Kelleher received a teaching degree in Africa and has taught in Africa, New Zealand and Australia. While in New Zealand, he began writing part time, prompted by homesickness for Africa. He moved to Australia in 1976, with his South African wife, Allison, and taught at the University of New England, in Armidale, New South Wales, before moving to Sydney to write full time. Many of the books he has written have been based on his childhood and his travellings in Africa.

Kelleher has won many awards for his books, such as the Australian Children's Book Award.

Reviews

[Kristine · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story is set in South West Africa at the turn of the 20th century and recorded by a granddaughter in the 1960's. It explores difficult themes about colonialism, race relationships, and family. I really enjoy Kelleher's writing and was swept along by the main story. Although I enjoyed that story, I found the narrator's parallel story intrusive (and less convincing). It was an unsuccessful addition to the book and diminished my overall enjoyment of the book. On balance I could only rate it as a 3.