Finders Keepers

Emily Maguire's latest novel, Love Objects (2021), is a touching story of a family with complicated relationships to their past and each other. 

Nic is 45 and lives alone in an Inner West Sydney house she inherited from her mother. She has had the same job for decades, loves to paint her nails and feeds all the local stray cats. Unknown to her family and neighbours, Nic also has a hoarding disorder, collecting items that others have discarded: a baby bonnet; signs for lost pets; containers; shoes. Her house is a treasure trove of bags, boxes, furnishings and more, with narrow goat tracks making pathways from room to room. Nic knows where everything is and the story behind each and every item in her home.  

Every Sunday Nic meets her twenty year old niece Lena for lunch. Lena is studying at university to become a teacher while working part-time and living hand-to-mouth. When Nic doesn't show, and fails to respond to Lena's messages and calls, Lena goes to her aunt's house and finds Nic collapsed on the floor. Nic is hospitalised with severe injuries and a social worker has been appointed, aware of the state of Nic's home.

Lena has to care for Nic, but also needs to make Nic's home safe to return. She moves into the house, hires a skip, and gets to work. Problem is, Lena sees only rubbish and doesn't know the ties Nic has to all these belongings. It is a huge responsibility for a young woman, especially one who is dealing with a major problem of her own. When Lena's brother Will arrives from Queensland to help, the stage is set for more conflict. 

Told in alternating chapters by three characters, Maguire focuses on a relationship not often explored in novels - an aunt and her niece. There is a tight familial bond the two - not quite maternal, but very close. The interwoven story lines explore complex themes of class, gender, loneliness, privilege and poverty. 

Maguire is an extraordinary writer who has deep empathy for her characters. Each of the three experience deep shame and are struggling to get by. The poverty they experience is real. Lena regularly walks because she cannot afford to top up her travel card, and often misses meals. Will desperately needs a dentist but cannot afford to see one. The pressure they are under because of their class is amplified by the wealthy around them - Lena's friend Annie and the rich guy who wronged Lena. Maguire's portrayal of Nic's hoarding disorder is also heartfelt and sympathetic. 

I really loved Love Objects - a beautiful, insightful family drama with humour and heart. 

My review of Emily Maguire's excellent crime novel An Isolated Incident (2016), is also available on this blog.