Roots of Silence is set in a fictional rural community, enabling universal connection to its themes across cultures. Although inspired by Indigenous stories of survival and displacement, it does not concentrate on a single community. Instead, it reflects the shared global experiences of colonised peoples and those from diverse cultures and backgrounds, bearing intergenerational trauma.
Spirituality is woven throughout the novel, not as dogma, but as a gentle presence. It draws from Indigenous wisdom, intuitive insight, and metaphysical ideas, highlighting the soul’s ability to endure even when the body and mind break down.
Novel - Roots of Silence
Some stories are passed down through language. Others are etched in silence, carried in the body, and whispered by the Spirit.
Set between 1968 and 1973, Roots of Silence follows the lives of women and their families of the Mirrum people in the fictional settlement of Chiron Falls - a community marked by colonisation, disconnection, and generational trauma - and the settler town of Ashmoll.
At the heart of the story is Autumn Sky, a child born of violence but guided by The Great Spirit. Through her eyes—and those of her mother Fern, her Aunty Ivy, spiritual healer Aunt Maibry, and the fierce Rain Lore—readers witness the intimate legacy of grief, resilience, and the sacred power of knowing.
In Ashmoll, young Hope shares Autumn’s gift, but it is crushed by her emotionally disconnected mother and the cold indifference and lack of understanding of the Spirit by those around her.
Told through the perspectives of multiple characters, this lyrical novel blends historical realism with spiritual insight, exploring how trauma affects not only the mind and body but also the spirit. As silence begins to break across generations, healing appears through community, connection to the land, and the unseen forces that have always been speaking.