The Warrumbar
William J. Byrne
UWA Publishing, 2025
The Warrumbar is a detailed work of fiction that focuses on the story of Robbie, a young boy growing up poor in a small country town with his parents and four brothers and sisters. His mother is Aboriginal and his father is white. His mother grew up on the Mission and Robbie has spent time at a boys’ home, despite being in many ways an average teenage boy, who is mostly concerned with getting to know one of the local girls, yabbying, fishing, and playing cricket.
The main thrust of the story concerns Robbie witnessing a crime and his eventual decision to seek some kind of justice. As a teenager, Robbie befriends his estranged Aboriginal great-uncle, Moses, who has had a chequered past characterised by violence, neglect of his family and alcohol. Moses is harassed by two white boys whilst standing on the edge of the local dam, and he falls to his death. Robbie, unbeknownst to everyone, sees Moses fall. It takes him the better part of his adult life to confront the perpetrators.
William J. Byrne’s novel is rich in his family history, sometimes to the detriment of the momentum of the plot. The details of the storytelling slow down the plot. It almost feels like a few interwoven short stories, with a central aspect of Robbie’s life and character at the centre of it, as there is little change in the characters over the course of the novel.
This results in an uneven overall reading experience. It is at times directed and purposeful and at other times, a laborious recreation of the past where the emotional resonances of the novel are muted. Sticking with the text is ultimately rewarding, as Robbie’s desire for some justice for his great-uncle Moses is fulfilled.
