2. Selection Principle

Garry Disher´s "The Divine Wind" was highly acclaimed by critics as a beautiful "Australian rite-of-passage novel" (Helen Purdie), a "novel of adolescence blighted by war" (Sally McInerney). Moreover, the fact that it was shortlisted for The 1999 Australian Children’s Book Council (CBC) Book of the Year Award for Older Readers and won The Ethel Turner prize for Young Adult Fiction might be proof enough that it is an excellent choice as a class reader.

Indeed, the novel meets the requirements of an adequate school reader in many respects. It is a favourite reader at Australian schools (level: 11 and 12) and a prescribed text for the Victoria Certificate of Education (VCE English 2003).
With about 35,000 words this novel written by a renowned and skilful Australian author is an ideal length for reading in class, and students may not have difficulties with its vocabulary. In addition to these important criteria the novel is clearly structured being divided into 20 chapters which tell the story in chronological order. They are preceded by a prologue. Each chapter includes a discreet episode in the life of the hero or some other character whereas the last chapter is effectively an epilogue and resumes the story about five years later.

Both this clear structure and the fact that it has a limited number of characters will certainly aid interpretation in class.

 

Garry Disher, The Divine Wind