PB RRP $19.95
ISBN 978-1-921665-70-7
Reviewed by Francine Sculli
What happens when there’s a part of your past, or a part of
who you are, that you’d just rather forget? And what happens when that very
past catches up with you and makes you question everything you think you know
about yourself? Riggs Crossing, the
debut novel by Michelle Renee Heeter, excels as a story of loss, belonging,
memory and upbringing.
When Len, a fourteen-year-old girl, is found in a car wreck
near Wollombi in NSW, surrounded by spent bullet casings, bloody clothing, she
quickly learns what it means to lose something. She wakes up in a hospital with
severe injuries and psychological trauma so deep, she has completely erased any
memory of what happened to her in the accident. She doesn’t even know her real
name and is given the nickname ‘Len’ by the nurses, based on the name
embroidered on the jumper she was wearing when she was found.
She is taken to a children’s refuge in Sydney where she encounters a supporting cast
of intriguing characters that challenge, confront and annoy her, which leads
Len to display signs of aggression, reclusive behaviours, racism and defiance
toward her peers and the social worker, Lyyssa. Her battle does not stop with
the people in the refuge, as time passes patches of memories start to resurface
and Len starts to piece together the puzzle of who she really is and what
really happened to her. She remembers her father as a marijuana cropper in
Riggs Crossing and the shady characters that surrounded their life. Soon, she
is closer to the truth than ever before, but the truth catches up with her
before she has a chance to fully uncover it. The men responsible for the car
accident and the shooting of her father find her in Sydney and try to put an end to Len and her
story, once and for all.
In the events that follow, Len’s story unfolds before her
and she discovers that her real name is Samantha Patterson, whose mother and
father were both tragically murdered. As she comes to terms with her loss of
family, belonging and identity, Samantha starts to work toward a path of
recovery and healing, as she learns to find her place in the world that
abandoned her.
Riggs Crossing is
a poignant tale, written with a strong and identifiable voice, which raises
important issues about morality, racism, choices and upbringing and is a
significant read for those wanting to explore the underbelly of human
existence.
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