Good Young Men by Gary Lonesborough

Title: Good Young Men

Author: Gary Lonesborough

Genre: Contemporary

Publisher: Allen and Unwin

Published: 3^rd March 2026

Format: Paperback

Pages: 304

Price: $22.99

Synopsis: A brilliant contemporary YA coming-of-age novel about three small-town Aboriginal friends finding their way towards adulthood, from the multi-award-winning author of The Boy from the Mish, We Didn’t Think It Through and I’m Not Really Here.

As we step into the shopping centre car park, white spray-paint on the orange brick wall catches my eye. Two council workers in high-vis shirts are on ladders, scrubbing away the faded words: WHITE POWER.

In the idyllic coastal town of Carraway’s Point, four Aboriginal boys grew up together on Chopin Drive, carefree and close. But they drifted apart in high school, and everything changed forever the night Brandon was killed by a white cop.

Now racial tension is brewing, and each boy must wrestle with grief and their own complicated lives.

Kallum has lost his sport scholarship and must return from Sydney.

Jordy contends with family responsibilities and a closeted boyfriend.

Dylan was the only witness to Brandon’s death, and he must testify in court.

Struggling to contain their emotions and process the murder of their friend, Kallum, Jordy and Dylan must navigate explosive events in a way that opens up a future they can’t yet see.

A searing and unputdownable YA novel from acclaimed award-winning author Gary Lonesborough.

~*~

Three young Aboriginal boys caught between truth, justice, being yourself and finding your way back to your friends. To the people who really know you and will accept you, no matter what. Meet Kallum, Jordy and Dylan, who have drifted apart over the years but will come together in their final year of school when so much is changing for them individually and within their community. Things have changed since one of their friends, Brandon, was killed by a white cop.

Kallum has been away at a prestigious school in Sydney until he’s expelled after getting into a fight. Now, he’s back in Carraway’s Point and his father is determined to make a career in the AFL work for his son, whether Kallum wants to or not. Kallum is rethinking it though as he explores his identity and questions what he really wants.

Then there’s Jordy, who grapples with school, wanting to become an actor and taking care of his family in the wake of tragedy, where he has had all the responsibility put on his shoulders. And nobody seems to be aware of how he has been coping with things. Dylan was the one who witnessed Brandon’s death and is struggling with testifying, with standing up for what is right and getting past rumours that have followed him for years.

These three Aboriginal boys are not the stereotypes everyone associates with Aboriginal boys. They are their own people, each with a different family dynamic, each with different ways of seeing the world, and each with different identities. One of them has a closeted boyfriend, one is trying to do what is expected of him, and one is just trying to get through tragedy that has gutted the town and affected everyone differently. Brandon’s death and the lead up to the trial of the police officer that killed him forms the backbone of the novel, and it shapes how Kallum, Jordy and Dylan see each other and see themselves.

They don’t want to be a stereotype and statistic, and I didn’t think they were, I liked that they explored who they really were and what they liked. They were characters that spoke to specific and wider issues that affect communities and minority groups. What does society expect? What do families expect? How does society see them? These are all questions that Gary Lonesborough explores in this novel with three teens on the cusp of leaving home and growing up.

It’s also about accepting your sexuality and identity, and the diverse ways of being in the world. It navigates the complexities of working within the system and wanting to work against the system. There are layers to the book, where some stereotypes are explored or mentioned, but they are main characters who bring so much more to life. And we learn about them through three parts, one in the point of view of each teen. And each one builds on the other, and we learn how they all become who they are.

I also liked the diversity and acceptance in this novel, the way Kallum’s friend, Ebony accepts who he is and helps him adjust to his life back in Carraway’s Point. It was a great way to explore different ways of being male, and showing that there are different ways of being male. It celebrates the positives and the challenges, especially when it comes to not giving into stereotypes and toxicity. It’s a testament to the strength these boys have that they don’t become what everyone assumes they are because of their race. It makes this book special and important as it gives LGTBQIA people and Indigenous people a strong voice. A voice that says more than what society assumes. It’s also about growing up and coming of age and this is a great book to start some good discussions about identity and growing up.