The Leaves
He’s in a new home, turning his bag upside down, emptying the contents onto the rug in the middle of the room. It was there, he knows he packed it, the framed picture of his mum, he saw it inside his bag in the social worker’s car. In the picture, she sits. In her rocking chair, their chair, a small pillow tucked behind her, jutting out behind her elbow. Little Cat is on the shelf behind the chair, a row of his books, the window slightly open. Sun pouring through, the photo slightly overexposed.
Faith and Evelyn are close friends, neighbours, and single mothers of Luke and of Mitch – and both bear the scars of the trauma of colonisation and the Stolen Generations. When Faith dies unexpectedly, Luke’s childhood in Sydney is severed into a ‘before’ and ‘after’ and a chain of catastrophic events is unleashed that will alter the course of his life.
Navigating the upheaval of a broken foster system (that serves as a pipeline to poverty and incarceration in ‘juvie’), The Leaves is a bittersweet meditation on motherhood and loss, on the power of female friendship, and the role of the state in perpetuating violence.
Luke’s journey exposes the aftermath of colonisation, as the nature of punishment, historical trauma and healing are examined. In doing so, the novel reveals the cruelty and futility of the youth detention system, and the violence of the law itself.
Through the pursuit of unattainable justice for Luke, The Leaves raises larger questions about a society that is yet to take responsibility for its own historical crimes.
MAY 2024 | ISBN 9781922964021 | Paperback | 176 pages | 216 X 140 (mm)
Reviews
The Leaves is where literature meets activism, and one would hope that by triggering the emotions of the reader, it may compel an understanding.
It may also forge a desire to advocate for change and to create the space for First Nations people to tell their own stories – and for non-Indigenous Australia to listen.
While the majority of people who are inclined to read this novel will more than likely be those not short of knowledge about these issues, I strongly encourage other readers who may feel this is left of field to try something new in order to gain a deeper understanding of the vicious cycle of oppression that exists in our society to this very day, especially as we move towards healing histories of our nation, following the failed referendum.
—Jess Whaler, The Weekend Australian Review MagazineIt’s a small book in length, but big in intensity and effect.
Rule said in a recent interview: “Franz Kafka spoke of the novel and of literature as being an axe that can thaw the frozen sea inside us. It’s genuinely my hope that The Leaves might play a small role in this important conversation to advocate for a more empathetic, effective and humane approach to reforming young offenders.”
Every time this book is read, Rule’s hold on the axe will strengthen. A highly recommended read. Read the full review.
—Law Society Journal