PRESS RELEASE: Ignored at Home, Praised Abroad: The Book Holding Up a Mirror to Australia

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Ignored at Home, Praised Abroad: The Book Holding Up a Mirror to Australia

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA — 3 August 2025 —
In a powerful new episode of the UK-based podcast Conversations Allowed, English-born Australian author Paul Rushworth-Brown lifts the veil on Outback Odyssey — a raw, allegorical novel that cuts deep into the silence surrounding Australia’s colonial legacy. Gaining international traction for its fearless portrayal of First Nations resilience, intergenerational trauma, and cultural erasure, the book doesn’t just revisit history — it challenges the nation to reckon with it.

Hosted by Hadi, Conversations Allowed is known for tackling difficult cultural and political topics. In this episode, Rushworth-Brown goes beyond plot points and literary themes to confront the deeper reckoning at the heart of Outback Odyssey — a novel that’s resonating with global audiences while still raising eyebrows at home.

“One of the best interviews I’ve had — not because it was easy, but because it wasn’t,” said Rushworth-Brown. “Hadi asked the right questions… and the wrong ones too. But that’s where the truth sits, isn’t it?”

Set in 1950s Australia, Outback Odyssey follows a young Yorkshire migrant who, after growing up in an orphanage, is left behind in the remote bush and taken under the wing of a First Nations Elder named Jarrah. Guided by the clan’s ancient wisdom, the boy embarks not on a fight for survival, but a profound journey of belonging — one that unfolds into an allegorical exploration of silence, loss, and cultural truth. In the red dust of the outback, he begins to unlearn the empire and listen to the land.

What Makes This Book Different
Unlike many Australian novels that romanticise the outback or reduce First Nations people to background figures, Outback Odyssey places Indigenous wisdom, spiritual healing, and cultural truth at the very heart of the story.

It’s not a tale of settlers taming the land — it’s a story of a boy learning to belong through humility and deep listening. The Elder, Jarrah, isn’t a symbol or stereotype; he’s a philosopher, teacher, and emotional anchor. Every lesson he passes on becomes part of a broader reckoning — for the boy, and for the nation.

What also sets this novel apart is that it’s not written from an academic distance. Rushworth-Brown worked out bush. His father worked alongside Aboriginal stockmen. He taught Aboriginal Studies and draws from oral histories and lived experience. That perspective — both outsider and insider — gives the book its weight.

Outback Odyssey is fiction, but it tells the truth. And maybe that’s why international readers are embracing it — and why Australia, so far, is not.

The novel has been featured in both the UK and the U.S., with in-depth interviews on programs like the UK-based Conversations Allowed and America’s Chris Voss Show and Jazz for Peace, and was recently spotlighted by Ngaarda Media for its authentic depiction of Aboriginal traditions and post-war realities — yet remains largely ignored at home.

“This isn’t about blame,” says Amanda Smith, a literary analyst and contributor to the interview follow-up. “It’s about listening — and asking better questions. Why are these stories being embraced overseas but met with discomfort at home?”

Now, Outback Odyssey has caught the attention of acclaimed Swedish director Carl Svensson — known for Pappa Parkinson (2005), En svensk tiger (2018), and Netflix’s Young Wallander (2020). Svensson is currently in discussions with Rushworth-Brown about a screen adaptation of the novel. Early development is underway, with the team exploring outback filming locations to bring the story’s haunting visual landscape to life.

At a time when Australia is still grappling with the fallout of the failed Voice referendum, and Welcome to Country ceremonies are being heckled at public events, Outback Odyssey speaks directly to the national mood — and the national silence.

Rushworth-Brown’s perspective — as an English-born Australian who worked out bush, taught Aboriginal Studies, and draws from oral histories and lived experience — gives the novel a unique voice. He’s both an outsider and an insider, and that duality is central to the novel’s emotional and cultural power.

“Outback Odyssey doesn’t ask for permission to speak,” Smith says. “It asks us to listen — and that’s what makes it powerful.”

The Conversations Allowed interview has sparked renewed interest from educators, reconciliation advocates, and international publishers. As Australia continues to reckon with its colonial past, Outback Odyssey offers readers more than a story — it offers a challenge.

🎧 Listen to the interview: https://youtu.be/CGHOBTzkyM0
📘 Learn more about the novel: www.paulrushworthbrown.com

Media Contact:
Hayley Brown
Publicist
📧 [email protected]

Author Contact (for interviews):
Paul Rushworth-Brown
📞 +61 431 724 652