Sixty-Seven Days by Yvonne Weldon is her debut novel. She tells the spellbinding story of an all-consuming first love, deeply embedded culture, and belief in family and their ancestors’ dreaming.
The novel is set in 1990s Aboriginal Redfern and tells of Evie, a proud Wiradjuri woman, and her fears regarding past abuse and the current threats that are making her life unbearable.
Fate, however, intervenes and James enters her life. His adoration, and unfailing optimism of an amazing life together, convinces Evie to trust him implicitly and to fall deeply in love with him.
Together the young couple travel to Evie’s ancestors’ country in the central west of NSW and the Riverina regions. As they swim in the waters of the Kalare, (as they are known to the Wiradjuri), and in the Murrumbidgee, Evie sings with her ancestors and listens to the spirits. They strengthen her resolve to follow her dreams, and to trust and love James.
The young couple become as one and decide to make a life together forever.
Fate, however, has decided differently and they have sixty-seven days together before tragedy strikes.
Will the healing power of love overcome all and provide the strength to carry on?
This is a powerful novel that explores the aspects of the best and worse of human interaction and relationships.
It is the story of close family ties that span the generations and where members of that family suffered at the hands of others.
Despite adversity, the people and their culture survived. It continues to thrive and grow.
Having worked in many Aboriginal services departments, the author has great knowledge of how they operate and the considerable aid they provide. This has enabled her to use this knowledge to create this ground-breaking novel, which has been years in the works.
Through that hard work and by self-motivation, Yvonne has finally published this wonderfully uplifting and thought-provoking debut novel.
A definite must-read for 2022!
ISBN:9780143777144
Sixty-Seven Days by Yvonne Weldon is available in paperback, audiobook and e-book
About Yvonne Weldon
Yvonne Weldon is a writer of fiction with a uniquely diverse lived experience, sharing truth-telling through writing that stirs reflection to encourage action for positive change. In 2016, Yvonne was shortlisted for the Queensland Literary Awards David Unaipon Unpublished Manuscript for Sixty-Seven Days, and was awarded a Faber Writing Academy Scholarship in 2017.
Yvonne is the current Deputy Chairperson of the Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council, the first Aboriginal candidate nominated for the Lord Mayor of Sydney, and was named New South Wales’ Aboriginal Woman of the Year 2022. She has worked in senior positions in Aboriginal policy development, health, human services, child care services, child protection, housing, disability and Aboriginal heritage. She is a proud Wiradjuri woman and maintains strong ties to her homelands of Cowra and the Riverina areas in New South Wales.
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