
Provenance is set in and around a fictional Warlpiri community at the western edge of the Tanami desert in central Australia. It is the story of an English doctor, whose love of the red desert country brings him to work in the remote community. When a patient asks him to sell some of her paintings for her, he finds himself engaging with the wheelers and dealers who make their living out of Aboriginal art, and the ethical issues which surround the practice. And later, when he finally gets the trip out on country that he has been longing for, he comes up against the true meaning of 'the middle of nowhere'.
'Psychologically subtle with an array of interesting children, women, and men, philosophically unpretentious and ever faithful to the locale, this is a thrilling read, a human story for the anthropocene. It explains jukurrpa, that dancing, signing, and sacred inseparability between self and land.' Counterpunch
Reviews for earlier works:
'Kate Thompson is a storyteller of genius.' Eileen Battersby, The Irish Times
'Kate Thompson writes with marvellous and magical ease.' Times Educational Supplement