Do you see pictures when you read? I do – I see pictures of the world the author describes, the people (to some extent, but mostly in flashes); if the author describes someone following footprints in the dirt, I see the footprints.

I thought this was normal but a recent conversation with someone made me wonder if everyone does this (because this person did not, and said that it was unusual that I did). It’s what makes a great book for me – fiction or non-fiction – and if it doesn’t make pictures for me, I lose interest pretty quickly (looking at you, Statistics: a Tool for Social Research).

I just finished re-reading The Widows of Broome and I have to say that I really enjoy Arthur Upfield’s Napoleon Bonaparte series – I get pulled into the world he recreates. The brush and towns are vivid, the people crisply drawn.

And yet, I wonder… Was Agatha Christie wrong to write about a Belgian? Tony Hillerman, the Navaho and Hopi? Was Arthur Updike wrong to make his detective of aboriginal descent? I’m not sure he was – but I do wonder if he was wrong to put words in his character’s mouth about what it feels like to be an aboriginal making his way in the white Australian’s world. And there is so much racial discrimination in these books – and I don’t just mean people’s attitudes towards the main character. There is how other aboriginals are treated by white Australians – and how they are treated by the main character and what he says about them.

But Boney – as his friends call him – is a charming character who draws you in. The mysteries are compelling, unlike most other mysteries of that time or others. Perhaps the closest comparison is Hillerman (who has admitted to being a Sinclair fan, according to Wikipedia).

The Widows of Broome is not my favorite Sinclair – I prefer The Bachelors of Broken Hill but couldn’t put my hand on it when I was picking out a new book earlier this week. Or the one with the windmills, whatever that was called – or the one with the turquoise mine.

If you’re looking for a new series to start, this is a good one. Just remember, as you read, that the author is writing from a white perspective, about a point in time when aboriginal Australians faced a kind of shocking racism that was acceptable in the white community, similar to the easy acceptance of shocking racism that African-Americans faced during much of the 20th century. Enjoy the writing for what it is, but don’t expect it to reflect what we now know.

Do you see pictures when you read? Do you feel conflicted when you love a book but it has obvious flaws because of the time in which it was written? Share in the comments.