AD: Morning Ms L, one of the main themes Gwynne emphasizes is family. I realised that Blacky’s family have some issues especially with their father Bob. How would you describe the relationship between Blacky and his father?
Ms L: Good morning Andrew. ‘Deadly Unna?’ is a wonderful novel by Phillip Gwynne aimed at children 12 and 17 years old. Regards to Blacky and his father Bob, I agree with you about the tension among them. Blacky and Bob have a very distant relationship between them. In the novel Bob is very violent towards his wife and children. He also is absent most of the time and remains at the pub this is evident when Blacky uses emotive language and says “as usual he was down at the pub”. “He only sat down with us when the pub was closed- Sundays and Christmas day”, showing the absence of their father. Blacky is a sensitive boy and can get quite frustrated with himself, especially when his father constantly refers to him as a ‘gutless wonder’.
AD: You mentioned Blacky being sensitive, and his father referring to him as a ‘gutless wonder’, how would you describe Blacky in the novel?
Ms L: Blacky is a responsible young boy even though he does have some wild friends, he does say that “All the kids in town, like Dazza and Pickles, hate school. Useless. Don’t learn anything. Can’t wait to leave. Not me, I like school.” Blackys use of short sentences expresses how different he is compared to the other boys in the town. Blacky reads a lot just like his mother, he is obsessed with improving his vocabulary. Blacky is one of few people on the peninsular that are not racist, this is outlined when