Neville the Less
Robert Nicholls
- Six
- year
- old
- Neville
- the
- Less
- is
- lord
- of
- the
- small
- things
- in
- a
- safe
- and
- familiar
- Australian
- neighbourhood.
- He
- knows
- the
- 'countries'
- of
- which
- it's
- comprised,
- he
- knows
- the
- people
- who
- conduct
- its
- business
- and
- the
- places
- from
- which
- to
- observe
- its
- doings.
- He
- knows
- it
- to
- be
- a
- place
- in
- which
- all
- the
- roles
- are
- established,
- all
- the
- problems
- are
- small
- and
- all
- the
- solutions
- the
- responsibility
- of
- adults.
When
- his
- father
- returns,
- heroically,
- from
- military
- service
- in
- the
- Afghan
- war
- zone,
- however,
- Neville
- finds
- himself
- confronted
- by
- a
- man
- he
- no
- longer
- knows.
- Withdrawn,
- uncommunicative
- and
- subject
- to
- horrifying
- nightmares,
- the
- father
- has
- become
- a
- Quiet
- Man
- in
- whom,
- Neville
- fears,
- a
- dreadful
- secret
- may
- lie
- hidden.
- What
- that
- secret
- could
- be
- is
- a
- question
- that
- draws
- Neville
- to
- ponder
- what
- it
- takes
- to
- 'make'
- both
- a
- hero
- and
- a
- war.
"Nothing
- for
- you
- to
- worry
- about,"
- his
- mother
- tells
- him.
- "War
- could
- never
- happen
- here
- and
- you
- will
- never
- be
- a
- soldier."
The
- half-memories
- of
- Neville's
- best
- friend
- and
- back-door
- neighbour
- say
- otherwise.
- Afsoon
- is
- the
- only
- surviving
- child
- of
- Hazaran
- refugees,
- newly
- resettled
- in
- Australia.
- Like
- the
- Quiet
- Man,
- she
- displays
- full-blown
- symptoms
- of
- post
- traumatic
- stress,
- in
- her
- case,
- presenting
- as
- a
- consuming
- obsession
- with
- the
- threat
- of
- violence.
- Imagining
- that
- her
- family's
- persecutors
- have
- followed
- them
- to
- Australia
- and
- are
- masquerading
- as
- ordinary
- neighbours
- (one
- of
- whom
- may
- be
- the
- Quiet
- Man),
- she
- develops
- a
- fixated
- need
- to
- expose
- those
- who
- are
- enemies
- and,
- if
- need
- be,
- eliminate
- them.
- Neville
- finds
- himself
- torn.
- Should
- he
- believe
- his
- determinedly
- hopeful
- mother
- or
- his
- much
- abused
- friend?
- And
- which
- of
- those
- is
- most
- likely
- to
- rescue
- his
- almost
- catatonic
- father
- from
- whatever
- nightmare
- assails
- him?
'Neville
- the
- Less'
- is
- firstly
- a
- tale
- about
- the
- pervasiveness
- of
- casual
- prejudice,
- obstinate
- insensitivity
- and
- the
- initiatives
- that
- arise
- from
- fear.
- It's
- also
- about
- the
- alacrity
- with
- which
- violence
- is
- introduced
- into
- our
- society
- and
- it
- is
- a
- reminder
- that
- post
- traumatic
- stress
- is
- a
- condition
- that
- can
- claim
- victims
- far
- beyond
- its
- primary
- sufferers.
- It's
- also
- an
- entertaining
- glimpse
- into
- the
- ways
- children
- might
- imagine
- themselves
- the
- protectors
- of
- their adults.
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