Friday 19 June 2020

Miles Franklin Award Shortlist 2020

The 2020 Miles Franklin Award shortlist was announced this week, confirming that I am terrible at predicting which titles would make the cut.

The shortlist is:

  • Tony Birch - The White Girl  
  • Peggy Frew - Islands 
  • John Hughes - No One 
  • Philip Salom - The Returns 
  • Carrie Tiffany - Exploded View 
  • Tara June Winch - The Yield 


I had expected Birch and Winch to make the list, but did not anticipate the others. Despite my poor track record, I reckon Wiradjuri author Tara June Winch will take the prize. She has already received the NSW Premier's Literary Award - Book of the Year, Christina Stead Prize for Fiction for The Yield

The Winner will be revealed on 16 July 2020.

Sunday 14 June 2020

Awe and Wonder

Julia Baird's luminous book Phosphorescence (2020) was just the tonic for life during the pandemic.  When the world is in peril and life feels out of control, our resilience is tested. Focussing on our internal happiness - the light within - we can navigate dark days and come out the other side.

It is difficult to describe this book as it is so many things. The first quarter is on nature - the awe and wonder that is all around us if we stop and take time to observe. Part two is about telling the stories of our own lives and accepting our imperfections. The third section is on friendship and how vital relationships are. The last quarter is on paying attention, savouring joy, finding our inner strength.

Baird's book is intensely personal as she reveals her experiences with cancer and the difficulty she had as a mother of young children while undergoing surgery and recovery. She found solace in the sea through her early morning ocean swims with a group of women who meet at Manly. She shares stories of her life in New York, her university days, and the friends she has made along the way.

I have previously read Baird's stunning biography Victoria the Queen (2017) which showcased her talents as a researcher, writer and historian.  In Phosphorescence she uses these same skills but adds an element of memoir which draws the reader in.

I was talking with colleagues the other day about the good things about life during the pandemic. We spoke about slowing down, making time to connect and reignite relationships, revisiting hobbies, and finding joy in life's simple pleasures. These are things I want to carry into my post-pandemic life, along with the lessons of finding awe and wonder I was reminded of when reading Phosphorescence.

Monday 8 June 2020

Safe House

Jess Hill won the 2020 Stella Prize for her remarkable book See What You Made Me Do, an investigation into the causes and impacts of domestic abuse. 

The premise of Hill's investigation is to move away from the 'why don't you leave?' question so often asked of women, to focus on why men perpetrate acts of violence and control on their families. Hill asks: 
Why does he stay? Why do these men, who seem to have so much hatred for their partners, not only stay, but do everything they can to stop their partner from leaving?
Prior to reading this book, I thought I had a good understanding of domestic abuse, through my gender and legal studies and my work. But I see now that I had a limited comprehension of how pervasive the issue is and how destructive its impact. See What You Made Me Do was enlightening on so many levels.

Hill's deep investigation lead her to interview survivors, police, lawyers, judges, social workers and more. In doing so she paints a picture of domestic abuse as a national tragedy for which there is a lack of political will to address.  The family court system hinders women facing domestic abuse. The safety net - shelters, hotlines, services for women and children - has been depleted by funding cuts and cannot keep up with demand.

A large part of the problem of course is that domestic abuse is hidden behind the walls of a family home. Far more pervasive than physical violence is coercive control. Hill writes:
Domestic abuse is not just violence. It's worse. It is a unique phenomenon, in which the perpetrator takes advantage of their partner's love and trust and uses that person's most intimate details - their deepest desires, shames and secrets - as a blueprint for their abuse.
The chapter on the impact of domestic abuse on children was heartbreaking, but the chapter on Aboriginal women and children (Dadirri) was devastating as Hill argues that colonisation brought domestic violence to Aboriginal communities -  'It was a type of violence introduced to Australia like an invasive species.'

I was reluctant to read See What You Made Me Do given the heavy subject matter. However it is such an important, powerful book it should be mandatory reading for every elected official and all who work in the police and judicial system.