In the not-too-distant future, when this novel is set, the lessons learned from our last pandemic are applied to a new, more deadly, strain. There are, however, unintended consequences with which to contend.
Scarlet Friday is an Indigenous woman working at the National Art Library in London. She’s a Truth-Teller, tasked with correcting historical lies and omissions. Her boyfriend, Dylan, is a musician. By chance, Scarlet meets another Australian. David, a scientist from UQ, developed the vaccine to counter this Patriot Flu. Nanotechnology, tracking everyone’s movements, was included within the vaccine’s molecular structure. (Note to conspiracy theorists: this is fiction; it is not documented evidence.) Its usage was then expanded to envelop the planet’s technological systems (apart from within a few countries which demurred). When this system breaks down, the world’s borders are shut. Dylan is touring Italy. Scarlet has no way of contacting him.
David and Scarlet are trapped in a now-xenophobic London where their accents mark them as foreigners. They plot to return to Australia. Through David’s contacts, he and Scarlet board a boat to South Africa, then fly a private jet to the east coast, off Byron Bay. David’s headquarters are nearby, and for Scarlet, Bundjalung Country is home. There are conflicts with her father which need resolving.
This is post-colonial speculative fiction. Allsopp uses the narrative to examine – and write over, where necessary – Australian history from an Indigenous perspective. ‘When a nation is built on a lie, how can any version of its history be true?’ Allsopp uses footnotes to cite sources, conflating real and fictional references.
The Great Undoing is a powerful story of belonging and identity, and of the politically motivated misuse of technological advances.
Reviewed by Bob Moore
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sharlene Allsopp was born and raised on Bundjalung Country into the Olive mob and dreams of capturing that elusive perfect sentence – preferably liquored up in a Champagne field in France. She studied Writing and Literature at the University of Queensland, and loves her role as an occasional tutor with the Indigenous Tutorial Assistance and Retention Program on campus.
She developed her debut novel as a fellow with The Wheeler Centre’s Next Chapter program. In its early stages, this novel was shortlisted for a 2019 Overland writing residency, and Highly Commended for the 2020 Boundless Indigenous Writer’s Mentorship.
Sharlene helped establish a charity for domestic violence survivors, and currently lives in Meanjin/Brisbane with her husband, sons and daughters, and a fluffy ball of puppy called Morty.
On a cool, rainy day she loves to curl up on the lounge with a book like The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams. If she were a long way from home, she’d read Tim Winton’s Island Home. If she needs escape, I’d pull out Tolkien.
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