This memoir will be enjoyed for its compelling honesty and the intense imagery used to describe complex subjects-cultural heritage, divided loyalties, and love-universal themes set in a region of great significance to many Australians. Kakmi's memoir concerns a young boy growing up on an island in the Dardanelle Straits, his family’s subsequent uprooting to Australia and his brief return. Turkish and Greek citizens occupy the island, with the Turkish holding administrative power. The friction between the two cultures is made palpable by clear description of the processes of law and cultural events, and through well-drawn characters. There are instances where it seems that descriptions might actually be adult feelings imposed on the character as a child, and that an event may have been crafted to suit certain circumstances. Viewed as a complete literary work, however, the writing skill and power of the storytelling override these moments of doubt. There are a number of voices in this story, and it is a credit to the author that they sit easily with one another. The characters develop throughout the chronology of the tale. Readers who loved the lyrical intensity of Romulus My Father should enjoy Mother Land.

Barbara Cullen has been a bookseller, was CEO of the ABA, and is managing small business policy for the Victorian Government

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