Fierceland by Omar Musa 2026 Miles Franklin Winner – Our Review

Our Review…

Rozana and Huran have led a privileged life. After their early days in Malaysian Borneo, where they had every luxury provided, they were educated in Australia. Once close, the siblings witness a ruthless act on a trip to the rainforest with their father and are changed forever, drifting apart and dealing with their realisation of what their father is differently. When their father dies, the pair is forced to confront the source of his wealth and his legacy – the environmental destruction and the violence in the name of progress and a better life for his family. While the focus of the novel is on Roz and Harun, this is really the story of their father, Yusuf, told through shifting perspectives – through the eyes of his children, his brother, his employees and his victims. The forest, so beautifully portrayed and even given a voice, ties this story together, as poet Omar Musa draws us into a world where technology, myth, childhood fantasy and ecological reality meet.

Poetic yet brutal, Fierceland weaves the past and the present into an emotionally powerful family saga that jumps between the years, decades and centuries and travels across the globe. It is a spellbinding story, thought provoking, troubling and touching.

Review by Andi @ Great Escape Books