The reading of belonging in Cloudstreet is one of the more apparent and dominant readings. We as human beings have an innate need to belong, which makes the reading all the more prominent for the reader. For Winton to put such a focus on belonging in his book, he must have struggled with belonging sometime during his own life. Although we are told that as a child he had a close-knit family where everyone belonged, …showed first 75 words of 1037 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1037 total…the beautiful the river.' (Pages 1-2) The theme of belonging is not just from the text itself; it also comes from our own context as readers and from Winton's context as the author. Readings are constructed by us, and by Winton. Nothing but our own context can dictate how, or what we read into a book. This must be remembered when looking at the different readings in, or more correctly - of - Cloudstreet.