Mirandi Riwoe – Stone Sky Gold Mountain (Literature Review)

Cultural identity, familial relationships, violence and love are at the forefront of Australian author Mirandi Riwoe’s novel Stone Sky Gold Mountain.

If you’re not familiar with Riwoe’s work, you probably should be. Even though this is her debut novel under the name Mirandi Riwoe, she has been making a place for herself in the nation’s literary world for some time now. As MJ Tjia, she is the author of crime novels (including 2017’s She Be Damned – which was longlisted for the CWA Debut Dagger) and her historical fiction novella, The Fish Girl was shortlisted for the prestigious Stella Prize in 2018. Her work is well known for bringing the stories of marginalised characters’ stories to life, and Stone Sky Gold Mountain is no exception.

Like many families, Ying and her brother Lai Yue journey to Australia from their native China in search of their fortune. Leaving behind their mother and other siblings, they hope to join the Gold Rush and quickly return to their homeland to pay off the debts their father left behind.

But life on the gold fields is harder than anticipated, so they’re forced to move on to Maytown, where Ying picks up work in the local store and Lai Yue takes on the volatile position of a carrier, a job that will separate the pair for some time. It’s not ideal but a sacrifice the pair are willing to make.

Unfortunately, Australia isn’t a nice place to be in 1877 if you’re not a white male, so both Lai Yue and Ying are the victim of racism and inequality. But in the absence of her brother’s protection, Ying takes comfort in the unlikely friendship of local girl Meriem – who herself is on the outskirts of society – until a crime is committed that sees the displaced the targets of injustice.

While I’ve read a fair amount of historical fiction, I’ve never read anything quite like Riwoe’s Stone Sky Gold Mountain. Riwoe’s prose is raw and honest in its telling of the challenges Chinese immigrants faced at the height of the Gold Rush. It’s confronting and violent, yet has moments of beauty and love.. It’s a refreshing change and kept me engaged from the very beginning.

If there ever was a rollercoaster of a book, this is it. One minute you’re outraged at the racism Ying and Lai Yue deal with as they make their own paths in a country so unlike they’re own, the next you’re caught up in the warmth of love between the characters – both Ying and Lai Yue’s love for each other as siblings, and the love that blossoms between Meriem and Ying.

Ying and Lai Yue’s story is haunting. And Stone Sky Gold Mountain is so unique in its telling of their story – and by extension – the story of so many Chinese immigrants at this time – that you can’t help but want to read more. I, for one, can’t wait to see what Riwoe has in store for us next.

Stone Sky Gold Mountain is published by UQP. To read more about the books they publish, click here. This review is part of my ‘Spotlight on Australian Authors’ series. If you missed my recent interview with Mirandi Riwoe, click the below image.

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