“The Great Australian Silence” is a term popularised by historian W.E.H. Stanner to describe the ‘cult of forgetfulness’ that permeates through the whole Nation. This cultural amnesia comes from an excessive focus on narratives provided by settlers and dismissiveness around Indigenous people’s suffering. He describes it as an ongoing practice amongst Australian Society that perpetuates the marginalisation and prejudice against the victims of colonisation. In her fourth book, Bonny Cassidy approaches the contemporary relevance, pointing out the enrooted presence of this disparity in our society.
Described by the Publisher as a non-fictional “part poetry, part prose, microhistory, memoir, travel writing and sometimes speculative imagination,” Cassidy’s lyrical prose emotionally engages the reader with a mix of historical manuscripts, her own family and history, alongside reflections on Australian monuments. By highlighting the environment around her —monuments, street names, and landscape descriptions — the environment itself emerges as a central character in the narrative.
Cassidy first confronts this concept at the beginning of her fourth book Monument where she revisits her own family’s story, rewriting it in a way more cohesive to reality. According to Bonny, to learn from the past it is necessary to dismiss the bedtime stories she was told by her grandmother (Nana) about their history. Instead, she must dive deeper into her history, uncovering the many lies she was told.
Traumatised by a shocking discovery about her father’s life, Bonny is left questioning her image of her family. Looking for the truth, she takes us around the country: digging through old archives and trying to reconstruct her story truthfully. Driven by her personal frustration, the author is not afraid to speculate on the thoughts and prejudices of her ancestors, reflecting on the harm they caused and how that unfolds in the present. Her narrative encourages the reader to pursue further research on the contemporary artists that she passionately describes.
More than a novel, this book touches on the author’s feelings and vulnerability. The reader is invited into her thoughts and emotions, and given the tools for further self-reflection and personal analyses.
As a Goodreads nerd, I believe Monument possesses a rare quality that defines a good book: its ability to broaden the reader’s view and expand their perspective, especially for those living in settler states. Cassidy does an amazing job of teasing the reader’s mind to pay closer attention to their surroundings. In my experience, what was once a mundane bus ride to the city has now become a journey of realisation, as I’ve come to recognise the scars left by colonisation that surround us. Names like “George Street,” “Elizabeth Street,” “Pitt Street,” and “Liverpool” as displayed on Google Maps will never sound the same—they are tangible remnants of a haunting past that remains very much present.
