Michèle Callard's Reviews > Man of Two Tribes

As a writer in love with PLACE, I am told that place should not come first but hide behind character and plot. Upfield's novels are unashamedly about place. How that man describes a desert is genius. We are also told that our characters must have flaws. Detective Napoleon Bonaparte has no flaws. He is the Aboriginal Superman, filled with intuition, Xray vision and determination. Humble, sure of himself, respectful of the law but still his own man, he is perfect. Do we wish he had flaws? No, we don't. Like a fine Australian wine, Bony gets better with time.