'My Spare Heart' follows the story of seventeen-year-old Phoebe, where her non-Indigenous mother - a busy event manager - and her father, an Aboriginal man and uni lecturer, have split up and she's moved away from her old friends. As her mum becomes increasingly unreliable, Phoebe's worries spiral out of control.
Author, Jared Thomas is a Nukunu person of the Southern Flinders Ranges, his works of theatre and fiction explore issues relating to Aboriginal marginalisation and resistance, the environment, gender and sexuality.
He says one of the inspirations for writing 'My spare Heart' was to dispel myths regarding Aboriginal people and alcohol abuse, showing that the problem is a broad one, and that Aboriginal people possess attitudes about alcohol that rarely are communicated to the broader public.
‘This book is for anyone but especially young people that are impacted by someone in their life suffering from alcoholism,’ Jared Tomas said.
He also stresses the importance of culture and sport in helping young people navigate difficult circumstances.
"I also wanted to show the importance of culture as a strength for young Aboriginal people to deal with a myriad of problems in their lives and, going back to how Phoebe copes, she loves basketball. It is her love of sport and participation in sport which is one of the things that helps her also to deal with those issues."
