The Boy From the Mish

Judges' Comments 

There’s a lot of heart and soul in this novel, and the incisive portrayal of characters envelops its readers in the world of Aboriginal community life. ‘Mish’ is short for the missions that the New South Wales government established and forced Aboriginal families onto, mostly in the nineteenth century. This novel provides nuanced insight into family life in these communities, with characters who have their own agency. 

In placing young male love as the driver of the narrative, Lonesborough has achieved something still too rare. The story of young gay male love in this debut novel will reach young adult and adult readers alike.