Mutant Message Down Under (the book)

The publication of "Mutant Message Down Under" was a trigger for considerable controversy. While the author clearly makes the point that it was written as a work of fiction, she also makes clear that it was "inspired by [her] experience in Australia." It's important to note that nowhere in the introduction or acknowledgments does she make clear exactly what that experience was. It seems to be implicit in the narrative that that "experience" was having been on walkabout (see below), but since the book's publication, representatives of both the Australian Aboriginal community and the Australian white community have come forth to challenge much of the book's content. Depictions of Australian life, descriptions of the countryside, details of the walkabout experience, details of relationship - all have come under increasing scrutiny and have been regarded with increasing suspicion. As has been previously discussed, however, the question of whether the book's events took place exactly as described may be moot, if the point of the book is to enlarge upon an archetypal and universal theme (see "Themes - The Mythic Journey").