'Grace Teresa Mary McAllister, a World War II widow haunted by visions and ghosts, decides to 'save' a young Aboriginal girl, Mary, by adopting her into her home, believing she will be able to redeem the child by giving her all the benefits of white society. Exploring the myth of 'doing it for their own good', 'The Heaven I Swallowed' is a gothic tale of the Stolen Generation, told from the perspective of the white perpetrator.'
Source: Allen & Unwin website,
Sighted: 15/09/2008
'The heaven I swallowed is a novel set in post-war Sydney. It is told through the eyes of Grace Smith, whose husband did not return from the Second World War. Alone, with only the company of an insincere and gossipy group of widows, Grace decides to adopt a young Aboriginal girl who was forcibly removed from her family. The child is Mary — a name that Grace had chosen for the child she miscarried soon after her husband left for the war.' (Introduction)
'The heaven I swallowed is a novel set in post-war Sydney. It is told through the eyes of Grace Smith, whose husband did not return from the Second World War. Alone, with only the company of an insincere and gossipy group of widows, Grace decides to adopt a young Aboriginal girl who was forcibly removed from her family. The child is Mary — a name that Grace had chosen for the child she miscarried soon after her husband left for the war.' (Introduction)
