No One Owns Me tells the story of Dennis Campbell and his solitary, sometimes dangerous life in outback Western Australia. Along one of the lonely journeys with his camel train young Dennis comes across a horrible sight—two travellers who’ve died of dehydration in the waterless desert. Just when it appears that the desert has claimed yet another victim, Dennis realises that a child has survived, protected by her dying parents. As the story develops Dennis and the child (Joe) become an inseparable pair but as Joe gets older and yearns to understand the past Dennis finds it more and more difficult to keep the secret of her discovery to himself. With the help of Jimmy the young Aboriginal boy, and Paolo the Italian icemaker’s son, Joe learns more of her past and begins to sense possibilities for her future in a changing world. The events and issues that emerge during the novel definitely place No One Owns Me within the young adult category, providing a compelling insight into the lives of people in the bush. While at times confronting, the reality of the characters and the brutal environment make this a uniquely West Australian experience.

This review from Australian Bookseller & Publisher magazine is reproduced by kind permission of Thorpe-Bowker, a division of R R Bowker LLC. © Copyright 2008, Thorpe-Bowker

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