Susanna Clarke's Piranesi (2021) takes the reader to a remarkable fantasy world. The 'House' is a labyrinthine series of magnificent halls lined with marble statues of minotaurs, fauns, and other creatures. The top floor of the house is exposed to the weather, and the bottom floor is subject to tides and flooding.
The main inhabitant is the Beloved Child of the House - Piranesi - a man who spends his days fishing, gathering mussels and collecting seaweed for sustenance. He writes all that he sees in his journal and has begun creating a catalogue of statues and a map of the House's countless vestibules and halls. Twice a week, on Tuesdays and Fridays, Piranesi briefly meets with the only living person he knows - The Other - a peculiar man who is in search of what he calls the 'Great and Secret Knowledge'.
The story is told in the form of Piranesi's journals, as he describes his days and the discoveries he makes along the way. He comes across as naive yet inquisitive, uncertain as to whether what The Other is telling him is true. When Piranesi finds evidence that someone else may also be in the House, he is compelled to learn more about the mysteries of the House and his own history.
Piranesi is a strange and wonderful novel. I must admit that my first attempt at reading this book failed as I could not connect with the writing. But then I read along with Chiwetel Ejiofor's brilliant audiobook narration and found myself absolutely engrossed in this tale. For the first hundred pages I was completely perplexed but also intrigued by the House and the delightful main character, perhaps relating to his isolation as I am currently in lockdown and confined to my own house. In some respects Piranesi reminded me of the works of CS Lewis or Philip Pullman.
Clarke is probably best known for her acclaimed debut novel Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell (2005). Piranesi was shortlisted for the 2021 Women's Prize and I must admit I am disappointed that it didn't make the longlist for the Booker. It is a fantastic novel by a gifted writer.
Today the Longlist was announced for the 2021 Booker prize. The thirteen titles nominated include authors from America, Britain, Canada, Sri Lanka and South Africa.
The Booker Prize is always a strange collection of titles, but what I love about the Longlist is that it introduces me to many authors and books I do not know. From last year's Longlist I acquired Diane Cook's The New Wilderness, Hilary Mantel's The Mirror and the Light, and Douglas Stuart's Shuggie Bain, although admittedly the pandemic changed my reading focus and I have not yet read all of these titles.
I haven't read any of the books on this year's Longlist yet, so let's take a quick look at the nominees:
Anuk Arudpragasam - A Passage North (Sri Lanka) Krishan receives a call advising that his grandmother's caretaker Rani has died. As he travels home to attend Rani's funeral by train from Colombo, he ruminates on love, loss and the thirty-year civil war that has engulfed his homeland. Arudpragasam is the author of The Story of a Brief Marriage (2016) which was shortlisted for the Dylan Thomas Prize. Sri Lanka has been on my travel wish-list for many years (and it will likely be many years before I can travel again!), so I am interested in this novel.
Rachel Cusk - Second Place (UK)
A woman living in a remote coastal region invites a famous artist to come and stay in her guest house in the hopes that he will use her as a subject in his next piece. M, the narrator, is a middle-aged writer living with her second husband Tony. The arrival of the artist L disrupts the routine of their lives. Cusk is an extraordinary writer, who packs a lot into her short books. She is best known for her Outline trilogy and my review of Cusk's Outline (2014) is also available on this blog.
Damon Galgut - The Promise (South Africa)
On a farm outside Pretoria, a privileged white family gathers for the funeral of matriarch Rachel. Their faithful black maid Salome lives on the property and was promised the deed to her home by Rachel on her deathbed. Despite this promise, and the constant reminders from the youngest daughter Amor, the family does not act to transfer ownership and conflict ensues. Galgut was previously shortlisted for the Booker for his novels The Good Doctor (2003) and In a Strange Room (2010).
Nathan Harris - The Sweetness of Water (USA)
As the American Civil War comes to an end, Prentiss and Landry are brothers freed by the Emancipation Proclamation. They seek refuge in the home of the Walkers who are grieving the loss of their son. In a parallel storyline, two white Confederate soldiers fall in love and have to hide their feelings for one another. This is Harris' debut novel.
Kazuo Ishiguro - Klara and the Sun (UK) Ishiguro has been nominated four times and won the Booker Prize over 30 years ago for his beautiful novel The Remains of the Day (1989). Klara and the Sun is his first novel since he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2017. Set in the near future, Klara is a solar-powered, humanoid artificial friend who is purchased as a companion for a teenage girl. The novel explores what it means to be human. I have this book and really look forward to reading it. (Update Aug 2021: read review)
Karen Jennings - An Island (South Africa)
Samuel lives alone on an island, in charge of managing the lighthouse. When a refugee washes up on shore, Samuel recalls his past on the mainland and struggles to adapt to the disruption of his solitude. The novel explores friendship, fear, and the notion of home. Jennings previous works include her debut novel Finding Soutbek and her memoir Travels with My Father (2016).
Mary Lawson - A Town Called Solace(Canada) Set in a small town in Northern Ontario in 1972, the story follows seven year old Clara and her family. Clara's older sister has run away from home. Her mysterious new neighbour Liam unexpectedly inherited the house and has moved in following the breakdown of his marriage. The third main character is Mrs Orchard, an elderly woman who is reliving memories from her past. Mary Lawson is the author of three novels set in Northern Ontario. Having grown up in Ontario myself, I am always on the look out for novels that remind me of home so I may check this one out.
Patricia Lockwood - No One is Talking About This(USA)
A woman famed for her social media posts travels around the world to meet her followers. She shares her insights while travelling, blurring the virtual and real worlds. Suddenly, she is summoned home by her mother due to a family tragedy and finds the real world is demanding more of her attention. American novelist, essayist and poet Patricia Lockwood is perhaps best known for her memoir Priestdaddy (2017). No One is Talking About This is her debut novel, and it was also shortlisted for the 2021 Women's Prize.
Nadifa Mohamed - The Fortune Men (UK)
Set in 1950s Cardiff, Mahmood Mattan is a family man and a petty criminal. When a shopkeeper is killed, Mattan is a suspect but he knows he has an alibi. This novel is a fictionalised account of the story of Mattan who was wrongfully convicted of murder and was the last man hanged in Cardiff prison. Somali-British author Mohamed won the Somerset Maugham Award in 2014 for her second novel The Orchard of Lost Souls. The premise of this story sounds intriguing. I will try and track down a copy of this book.
Richard Powers - Bewilderment(USA) Powers is the Pulitzer Prize winning author of the much-lauded Booker shortlisted The Overstory (2018). In his latest novel he follows widowed astrobiologist Theo Byrne, who is raising his nine-year-old son Robin. The boy has been diagnosed as being 'on the spectrum' and after an incident at school, Theo needs to consider how to best care for his son.
Sunjeev Sahota - China Room(UK)
This novel follows two characters on a quest for freedom. Mehar is a young bride in Punjab in 1929 trying to discover the identity of her new husband. In 1999 a young man who grew up in England arrives in Punjab trying to rid himself of addiction. Sahota was previously shortlisted for the Booker Prize for his novel The Year of the Runaways (2015).
Maggie Shipstead - Great Circle(USA)
In prohibition era Montana, teenage Marian drops out of school and finds a patron who will support her desire to become a pilot. As a daredevil aviatrix, she circumnavigates the world and flies over the poles. A century later, actress Hadley Baxter is set to play Marian in a biopic and becomes immersed in the pilot's disappearance in Antarctica. Shipstead is the author of Astonish Me and Seating Arrangements. I am intrigued by the description of this story and will search out a copy of this book.
Francis Spufford - Light Perpetual(UK)
In 1944 five children are among a crowd outside the Woolworths in South London to see a delivery of saucepans - the first new metal items since the war began. Moments later, a bombing raid incinerates everyone around. In this novel, the author tells the story of these five children and what could have been if they had not been there on that fateful day. Spufford is the author of countless works of non-fiction, and is a Professor of Creative Writing.
So that is the Longlist!
Maya Jasanoff, chair of the judges panel, said:
One thing that unites these books is their power to absorb the reader in an unusual story, and to do so in an artful, distinctive voice. Many of them consider how people grapple with the past - whether personal experiences of grief or dislocation or the historical legacies of enslavement, apartheid and civil war. Many examine intimate relations placed under stress, and through them they meditate on ideas of freedom and obligation, or on what makes us human.
The longlist is previewed in this announcement video:
This is an interesting longlist and I am a bit surprised that there are a few titles not on the list which I thought would have been including Sally Rooney's Beautiful World, Where are You, Pat Barker's The Women of Troy, and Susanna Clarke'swonderful Piranesi. I had also secretly hoped that Australian authors Richard Flanagan (The Living Sea of Waking Dreams) and Tara June Winch (The Yield) would make the cut.
Of all these titles, the ones I am most interested in are the books by Ishiguro, Cusk, Shipstead, Arudpragasam and Mohamed.
The Shortlist will be announced on 14 September 2021, with the Winner of the £50,000 revealed in November. Better get reading!
The winner of the 2021 Miles Franklin Literary Award, Australia's most prestigious literary award, was announced via a live online presentation on 15 July 2021. This year the award and its $60,000 prize went to Tasmanian author, Amanda Lohrey, for her novel, The Labyrinth.
The Labyrinth tells the story of a woman who leaves her life in Sydney and moves to a small coastal town to be closer to the prison where her son is incarcerated. She lives in an oceanside rundown shack, and obsesses over building a stone labyrinth while she processes her feelings of maternal guilt over her son's actions.
The Chair of the judging panel, Richard Neville said 'It is beautifully written reflection on the conflicts between parents and children, men and women, and the value and purpose of creative work.' Amanda Lohrey is the author of seven novels, including the Stella Prize longlister A Short History of Richard Kline (2015), Reading Madame Bovary (2010) and two novels previously nominated for the Miles Franklin Award - Camille's Beard (1995) and The Philosopher's Doll (2004). Lohrey is the recipient of the 2012 Patrick White Award which acknowledges authors which have not been sufficiently recognised for their creativity.
With much of Australia's population in some form of COVID lockdown, the announcement of the winner was live streamed:
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.
Chris Hammer's third novel in the Martin Scarsden series - Trust (2020) - picks up a few months after the events in Silver (2019). Martin, his girlfriend Mandalay Blonde, and her infant son Liam, have been living in the coastal hamlet of Port Silver. Martin and Liam are playing on the beach when a phone call shatters the serenity and starts this novel racing.
Suddenly Martin and Mandy are transported back to their past lives in Sydney where the action in Trust takes place. The body of a man is found, and Mandy has to reveal her secret past to Martin, explaining she was once engaged to the dead man. For the past five years Mandy thought he had disappeared after stealing millions from the bank where they worked. Meanwhile, Martin is invited to meet his former editor Max, who has a story he wants Martin's help with. Before Martin can learn what hot story Max was on to, the editor is killed and Martin takes up the investigation, leading him into danger. Detective Morris Montifore, journalist Darcey Defoe and many other characters from the previous novels also appear in Trust.
Beyond Martin and Mandy, the city of Sydney is a leading character in Trust. Hammer accurately describes the harbour city - its glittering wealth and its seedy underbelly. He has also positioned this novel in time, the impact of bushfires and the pandemic never far away. The plot lines are complex and intertwined, and Hammer has a talent for holding all these threads together and keeping the story moving at a cracking pace.
I have been critical of Hammer's earlier novels for his superficial depiction of Mandy. In Trust, he fleshes out this character, giving Mandy an interesting backstory and moving her to the centre of the action. This novel feels very much like Hammer has wrapped up the Martin and Mandy series and perhaps they will return home to Port Silver to live in idyllic peace.
My reviews of Chris Hammer's previous novels, Scrublands (2018) and Silver (2019) are also available on this blog.
From 1938 to 1973 thousands of poor British children emigrated to Australia, Canada and Rhodesia under the Fairbridge Schools scheme. Founder Kingsley Fairbridge was concerned about the rising number of poor families in Britain and the need for white settlement in British colonies. His solution was to create a child migration scheme wherein poor children would be sent to farm schools in distant lands and trained to become farmers and farmer's wives. Parents, convinced they would be providing their children with opportunities for a better life, signed away their rights and, in many instances, never saw their children again.
Author David Hill was one of the more than 7000 children to be sent to Australia as a child migrant. He emigrated in 1959 as part of the One Parent program, in which single parents would send their children in advance to Australia, to be reunited once the parent had travelled to Australia, secured employment and was ready to take their children back. Hill and his two brothers came in their early teens and found themselves at the Fairbridge Farm School in Molong NSW. He documents his story, and that of many others, in The Forgotten Children (2007).
This book is a heartbreaking read. Part memoir and part historical study, Hill has researched extensively and spoken with countless Fairbridge children who recount in similar detail their experiences - including the physical, sexual and psychological abuse they suffered - at the Molong school. It was devastating to read how siblings were separated upon arrival, denying young children the opportunity to be with someone who cared for them. They were also denied adequate food, clothing, and a meaningful education. Further, while purporting to train children to become farmers, Fairbridge failed on that measure too, with children becoming adults with limited skills to find success in a career in or in relationships.
Hill describes the origins of the Fairbridge scheme, the journey to Australia and arrival at Molong, a day in the life of the children, their work and education, and how they left Fairbridge. Readers can quickly understand what it must have been like for these young children. It was wonderful to read the accounts of so many former child migrants, expressing in their own words what it was like for them. Unfortunately, there was a significant repetition, not in the personal stories but in Hill's narrative, which was distracting as a reader.
Over the past few years I have learned a great deal about the institutionalisation of children and the intergenerational trauma that stems from it. I have spent many hours reading the report from the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse and the 2001 Senate Report Lost innocents: Righting the Record - Report on Child Migration. What I have learned from these reports and from The Forgotten Children is that there were so many opportunities to stop the neglect and abuse, but the children were repeatedly failed by individuals, organisations and governments. Hill gained access to many 'secret' reports in which child welfare agents sounded the alarm about what was happening at Fairbridge, only to have these reports buried or discounted. While it is small consolation, the NSW Government has agreed to be a funder of last resort for the Fairbridge Society Molong under the National Redress Scheme, so at least there is an opportunity for some of the children to have their suffering acknowledged.
On 16 November 2009, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd made a formal apology to the 'Forgotten Australians', in a moving speech which acknowledged the 'ugly chapter in our nation's history'. While it is undoubtedly an ugly chapter, it is essential that we know about what happened at places like Fairbridge so that we learn from our past. Thank you David Hill for sharing your story and that of other care leavers. You have shined a light into this dark corner of our history.
The 2021 Miles Franklin Award shortlist was announced this week. When I predicted which titles would make the cut, I had expected Sofie Laguna, Laura Jean McKay, Miranda Riwoe, and Nardi Simpson to make the shortlist. Surprisingly none of these authors were included.
The shortlist is made up of the following works:
Aravind Adiga - Amnesty
Robbie Arnott - The Rain Heron
Daniel Davis Wood - At the Edge of the Solid World
Amanda Lohrey - The Labyrinth
Andrew Pippos - Lucky's
Madeline Watts - The Inland Sea
Richard Neville, Chair of the judging panel, said of the shortlist:
“In various ways each of this year’s shortlisted books investigate destructive loss: of loved ones, freedom, self and the environment. There is, of course, beauty and joy to be found, and decency and hope, largely through the embrace of community but, as the shortlist reminds us, often community is no match for more powerful forces."
I have not read any of these titles and, as none of my predictions made it to the shortlist, I have no idea who is going to win.
The Winner of the $60,000 prize will be revealed on 15 July 2021.
There has been a lot of hype surrounding Raven Leilani's debut novel Luster (2020). Winner of the Kirkus Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction, Luster was longlisted for the 2021 Women's Prize and the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction. It also appeared on countless 'best books of 2020' lists.
The narrator is Edie, a twenty-three year old black artist working in an all-white office in a New York City publishing firm. She is ungrounded, having lost both her parents, living in a roach-infested apartment, and engaging in a string of meaningless encounters with coworkers. Online she meets Eric, a forty-something white guy from New Jersey in a seemingly open marriage. They begin a relationship, following strict rules crafted by Eric's wife Rebecca.
When Edie loses her job and her apartment, she does some gig work as a delivery rider and by chance happens to meet Rebecca, who invites Edie to come and live in the couple's guest room. Over time, Edie develops a connection with Akila, the couple's adopted twelve year old black daughter. Both of them are outsiders in this strange suburban landscape.
There is something about Leilani's writing that attracts readers. The author is sharp, observant and there is an urgency with which she propels this story along. Through Edie, Leilani has a lot to say about race, class, sex, poverty and privilege. There is a playfulness in the pop culture references, the voyeurism and the observations Edie makes of the world around her.
Generally, I like unlikable characters and unreliable narrators. But everyone in this book was unlikable and unreliable. Other than Edie, there is not much character development and as such I found it hard to care about anyone in the novel. Despite not loving this book, I did enjoy Leilani's writing and I look forward to seeing what she comes up with next.
In 2018 journalist Chris Hammer penned a best selling debut novel, Scrublands, an exciting, page-turning thriller. In the time since, Hammer has written two more novels featuring Martin Scarsden, foreign correspondent returned home to Australia.
Silver (2019) picks up some months after the previous novel finished. Scarsden has been in Sydney writing his true crime tale of the events in Riversend, while his girlfriend Mandalay (Mandy) Blonde and her infant son Liam have moved up the NSW coast to Port Silver seeking a new start. Mandy has inherited a house in this seaside town, and Port Silver just happens to be where Martin grew up and his uncle Vern still lives.
The novel opens with Martin driving the windy road down to his hometown, arriving at Mandy's door to find a dead body inside. The body belongs to Martin's childhood friend, Jasper Speight, whom he has long lost touch with. Mandy is a suspect, and Martin begins his own investigation to help his girlfriend. Along the way there are many twists and turns, red herrings and subtle clues with Martin exploring property development, missing persons, drug-fuelled parties, backpackers, bumbling police and a mysterious swami.
We learn more about Martin's history. He grew up in the 'Settlement' - a poor area of Port Silver, where he and his neighbours all dreamed of escape. When he was eight years old, his mother and twin sisters were killed in a car accident. Left with his father, Martin watches the man become increasingly unstable. Martin depended on uncle Vern, who was there for him no matter how much distance Martin drove between them.
We also learn more about Martin's relationship with Mandy, which doesn't quite gel as she is not a fully formed character. Perhaps it is because I have only been reading books authored by women for the past 18 months, but I found the female characters in Silver to be very one-dimensional and lacking substance.
While this novel does not live up to the expectations of Scrublands, it is a rapid-paced thriller. A perfect beach-read escape. I look forward to the next Scarsden outing - Trust.
This week the longlist was announced for Australia's most prestigious literary awards, the Miles Franklin Award, with twelve authors vying for the $60,000 prize. Richard Neville, Librarian from the State Library of NSW, said on behalf of the judges:
“The 2021 Miles Franklin longlist is a rich mix of well-established, early career and debut novelists whose work ranges from historical fiction to fabulism and psychologism. Through an array of distinctive voices these works invite their readers to engage with questions regarding the natural and animal worlds, asylum, sexual abuse, colonialism, racism and grief. These are stories about trauma and loss, and also about beauty, resilience and hope.”
Let's check out the Longlist:
Aravind Adiga - Amnesty
Booker Prize winning author of The White Tiger, Aravind Adiga's latest novel is about an illegal immigrant fleeing Sri Lanka. Danny arrives in Sydney and tries to create a new life for himself. When he learns of a crime he needs to make a choice - come forward as a witness and risk deportation, or stay silent. Taking place over a single day, this novel raises important issues about systemic racism, Australia's immigration system, and the lack of assistance available to migrant communities.
Robbie Arnott - The Rain Heron
Tasmanian author Arnott is is the award-winning writer of Flames (2018). His second novel, The Rain Heron, focusses on the relationships between humans and the natural world. Ren lives alone in the mountain forests of a country devastated by a coup. Her solitude is disrupted when a young soldier comes to her mountains.
Daniel Davis Wood - At the Edge of the Solid World
High in the Alps a husband and wife are grieving the death of their firstborn child. Back home in Sydney, a man commits a violent act that brings international attention, and the husband becomes fixated on this crime. This is a novel of loss and resilience in the face of unbearable grief. Australian author Davis Woods is the author of Blood and Bone. I am not sure if I want to read this novel but I am intrigued by his PhD monograph on 'Frontier Justice in the Novels of James Fenimore Cooper and Cormac McCarthy' which sounds fascinating.
Gail Jones - Our Shadows
In 1893 gold was discovered in Kalgoorlie by an Irish-born prospector, Paddy Hannan. Our Shadows is set in this goldfields town and focuses on three generations of a family. Raised by the grandparents, sisters Nell and Frances, struggled with the loss of their parents and have grown apart. Returning to the goldfields as an adult, Frances attempts to learn more about her father and understand her roots. Jones has been long/shortlisted for this prize five times but has never won. Will 2021 be her lucky year?
Sofie Laguna - Infinite Splendours
Lawrence is a smart young boy with a bright future ahead of him. His trajectory abruptly ends when he becomes a victim of child sexual abuse at the age of ten. As a young adult he withdraws from the world and lives with shame and secrecy. This sounds like a dark and depressing novel, but it is extremely topical. I am sure that this is a brilliantly written novel, but I am not sure I want to read it. Sofie Laguna won this award in 2015 for The Eye of the Sheep.
Amanda Lohrey - The Labyrinth
When Erica Marsden's son is imprisoned, she leaves her life in Sydney to move to a small coastal town to be closer to the correctional facility. In a rundown shack near the ocean, Erica obsesses over building a labyrinth as she reconciles her past and her feelings of maternal guilt over her son's actions. Lohrey is an author of fiction and non-fiction, she was longlisted for the 2016 Stella Prize for her novel A Short History of Richard Kline.
Laura Jean McKay - The Animals in that Country
Jean is a grandmother who prefers the company of animals to people. She works as a guide at an outback wildlife park, and has formed an attachment to a dingo named Sue. When a pandemic spreads across the country, people begin to lose their minds. Fearing for the safety of her granddaughter, Jean and Sue take off on a road trip to find her. The Animals in that Country won the 2021 Victorian Prize for Literature and the Victorian Premier's Literary Award, and was shortlisted for the 2021 Stella Prize.
Andrew Pippos - Lucky's
Debut novelist Andrew Pippos has drawn on his life growing up in his family's Greek-Australian cafe too create his book Lucky's. In 2002 a writer flies to Sydney to research an article for The New Yorker about restauranteur 'Lucky' Mallios. Emily needs a win, having lost her job and her husband. Lucky also needs a win. He came to Australia from Greece and built a chain of successful restaurants, then things went bad and he lost everything. Now he wants to rebuild, atone for his past and leave a legacy to his family.
Miranda Riwoe - Stone Sky Gold Mountain
Set in the gold-rush era, this is the story of two siblings who leave China for Australia to seek their fortune. They find work in a town near the goldfields and begin to form relationships in the community. But when a crime is committed, all outsiders are considered suspects. Riwoe was previously shortlisted for the Stella Prize for her novel The Fish Girl. Stone Sky Gold Mountain won the Queensland Literary Award for Fiction and the ARA Historical Novel Prize, and was shortlisted for the 2021 Stella Prize.
Philip Salom - The Fifth Season
Jack is a writer obsessed with 'found people' in which unidentified people are found dead and now one knows who they were or why they died. He moves to Blue Bay, a small coastal town and befriends Sarah whose sister Alice went missing. He then discovers a book about the townsfolk written by a mosaic maker called Simon. Salom was shortlisted for the 2017 Miles Franklin Award for his previous novel Waiting and longlisted in 2020 for The Returns.
Nardi Simpson - Song of the Crocodile
Darnmoor is the home of three generations of the Billymil family, who reside on the outskirts of a rural town. Over the years they experience the impacts of racism, violence, dispossession and colonialism and the intergenerational trauma that endures. The judges describe the Song of the Crocodile as 'a novel that contributes to a deeper understanding of Australia's history, and tells the stories of First Nations people in a voice and tone that has for so long been missing from our literary canon.' Simpson is a musician, playwright and Yuwaalaraay storyteller. This novel was shortlisted for the 2021 Victorian Premier's Literary Awards and Indie Book Awards, and longlisted for the 2021 Stella Prize.
Madeline Watts - The Inland Sea
The narrator of Watts' debut novel works part time as an emergency dispatch operator, tracking the natural disasters that ravage Australia each year. Drinking heavily, reckless and ungrounded, she feels surrounded by disaster. A descendent of explorer John Oxley, she becomes obsessed with his search for the mythical inland sea. Watts hails from Sydney but now resides in New York.
I am pretty disappointed with this longlist as I had expected Richard Flanagan's The Living Sea of Waking Dreams, Kate Grenville's A Room Made of Leavesand possibly Trent Dalton's All our Shimmering Skies to be recognised.
At this stage I have not read any of these novels (and may not read any before the winner is revealed), however I will guess that Laguna, McKay, Riwoe and Simpson will make the shortlist. The Shortlist will be announced 16 June 2021 and the winner will be revealed on 15 July 2021.
Australian writer Tegan Bennett Daylight has always been surrounded by books. As a child she was encouraged to read by her mother, who would gather a stack of books for her children to explore whenever they said they were bored. As a young woman she would escape into the many different realms that fiction offers. Later, she would pick up her mother's tradition of quoting from great literature and poetry as a way of communicating with her own children.
Now an author and English lecturer, Bennett Daylight has gathered a collection of essays in The Details - On Love Death and Reading (2020). Here she does a deep dive into her love of various authors - Helen Garner, George Saunders, and more - with a critical eye over their use of language and their focus on the details which give their work immediacy and presence.
Many of the essays are deeply personal. In 'Vagina' she talks about the physical and emotional trauma of child birth, while in 'Detail II' she shares her mother's last days, and 'Georgia Blain' is about her dear friend who died too soon. Along the way we learn about Bennett Daylight's family, her tight friendships with fellow authors, and gain an insight into her work as a lecturer.
Throughout The Details Bennett Daylight would mention preparing to facilitate sessions at the Sydney Writers' Festival and I recalled the many times I attended her sessions, admiring her erudite and insightful commentary on literature. I first saw her at the 2015 Festival where she spoke with Helen Garner in a session on ' Lives and Writing'. The following year at the 2016 Festival she had a great talk with Jonathan Franzen about the books that influenced him. I also recall seeing Bennett Daylight and Charlotte Wood at the 2018 Festival where they spoke about humour in serious literature.
There were many aspects of The Details that I enjoyed, such as her commentary on tertiary education, her linking of literature with memory, and her analysis of works that showcase the importance of detail. Her personal accounts of grief were heartbreaking, and brought back memories of my own deathbed vigil experience. But overall I found this collection uneven and lacking flow. While I am glad to have read The Details, but I must admit that I prefer Bennett Daylight's fiction, especially her short story collection Six Bedrooms (2015).
Late last year I picked up a copy of Australian/British author Evie Wyld's third novel The Bass Rock (2020). I thought it would be an intriguing novel as I knew of Wyld from her critically acclaimed All the Birds, Singing (2013)and also because I have fond memories of travelling to North Berwick and seeing the famous rock on travels to Scotland with my Glaswegian husband. When The Bass Rock was shortlisted for the Stella Prize (and eventually won), I moved it to the top of my pile and spent several evenings transported to rugged Scottish coast.
The Bass Rock tells the stories of three women who have a connection to this place. In the 1700s, Sarah is on the run, fleeing from villagers who accuse her of witchcraft. Her tale is narrated by a young man who, with his father, is helping Sarah escape.
Shortly after WWII, Ruth has just married Peter, a widower with two young sons. He has bought a large house for Ruth to reside in, with a view of the Bass Rock. Ruth loves Peter's sons, but dreams of having a child of her own to complete their family. But Peter has other plans, as he ships the boys off to boarding school and returns to his work in London, leaving Ruth alone for long periods in this isolated place.
Viviane lives in the present day. She is approaching 40, but lives the ramshackle life of someone twenty years younger. Grieving the death of her father (Peter's son Michael), Viv heads to North Berwick to housesit her grandmother Ruth's home while it is being sold.
While the story of these three women is told in alternating chapters, there are plenty of other intriguing women who make an impact in the story. Betty, Ruth's house keeper, who is a keen observer of what is happening in the town. Maggie, who befriends Viv and stays with her at Ruth's house. Viv's sister Katherine, who is leaving her partner and has a love-hate relationship with her sibling.
The undercurrent in all these women's stories is male violence - built up over centuries. This violence takes many forms - coercive control, gaslighting, physical harm, addiction, predatory behaviour, denial of affection, threats, intergenerational trauma, institutionalisation - but is often normalised and down-played by the men who were just 'tickling' or 'playing' or performing gender roles. The men in this novel are not necessarily menacing, although they can swiftly turn to become so. Instead they and their behaviours are so normalised and commonplace that it is unseen.
Pitched as a gothic novel, the atmosphere created by Wyld from the rugged landscape, Ruth's house and the ghostly elements within, draw the reader in and build the intrigue. Wyld's ability to describe the landscape - the screeching of the seabirds, the biting wind that rattles the windowpanes, the looming shadow of the Rock - bring the setting to life.
Despite this dark subject matter, the book does not feel oppressive. I really enjoyed The Bass Rock and would highly recommend it. My only quibble is that I could have done without Sarah's story - keeping the tale more contemporary with just Ruth and Viviane - as it seemed to serve little purpose and was not as well considered as the other two.
The 2021 Women's Prize shortlist has been announced!
In March 2021, when the longlist for this year's Women's Prize was announced with 16 nominees, I predicted that the shortlist would feature Brit Bennett, Raven Leilani, Torrey Peters, Ali Smith and Avni Doshi. Clearly I am terrible with my predictions as I only guessed Bennett correctly!
How the One-Armed Sister Sweeps Her House - Cherie Jones
No One is Talking About This - Patricia Lockwood
All the nominated authors are first time nominees, which is lovely as often the shortlist has one or two big names who dominate the coverage, and this year all of these writers will get promotion. I have not read any of these titles, but have Piranesi and The Vanishing Half ready to go when I finish my current novel.
The winner will be revealed on 8 September 2021. Happy reading!
Sarah Krasnostein's award winning The Trauma Cleaner (2018) is one of the best works of non-fiction I have ever read. I rave about it to everyone I know and have gifted copies of the book to friends and family who were also entranced by the subject matter and Krasnostein's gifted storytelling. Needless to say, I have been eagerly awaiting her next book and preordered The Believer (2021) so I could get my mitts on it as soon as it was available.
Unlike The Trauma Cleaner which focussed on the fascinating life of Sandra Pankhurst, The Believer follows individuals and groups with strong beliefs about life and death, creation, god, ghosts, extraterrestrials, and more. With deep empathy and curiosity, the author immerses herself in their worlds in an effort to understand how people believe.
'The Death Doula' follows terminally ill Karina and Annie, her death doula, who will help her achieve a good death. In 'Paranormal', Krasnostein joins a group of ghost hunters in their quest to engage with poltergeists. 'In the Beginning' follows a group of people who believe that The Bible tells the true story of creation, and have built a life-size replica of Noah's Ark at the Museum of Creation to teach future generations.
The second half of the book introduces us to Lynn in 'Halfway Home' who has just been released from three decades in a US prison for the murder of her abusive husband. Lynn is beyond resilient, facing her prolonged sentence by taking each day as it comes. The mystery of a plane lost over the Bass Strait is told in 'Theories of Flight', which focuses on UFOs and the belief that we are not alone. Finally, we meet Mennonite missionaries in New York who aim to teach others about their faith in 'The Kingdom of Heaven'.
The chapters alternate between the six stories, providing insight into each believer. While this worked well to maintain momentum, it also made for disjointed reading. I found myself wanting to rush through some chapters in an effort to get back to the people I cared about. Krasnostein inserted herself in some of the narratives by sharing childhood reminiscences or glimpses of her family's history. The author's presence was jarring and disconnected, whereas it felt much more natural and intimate in The Trauma Cleaner.
The Believer is undoubtedly an interesting book and I am glad to have been introduced to these people and their worlds. Ultimately, I was deeply engaged with two of the six stories and, had the book been wholly about Annie and/or Lynn, I would have been immensely satisfied. Their stories felt more human and realistic to me, and do not require the leap of faith needed to understand their beliefs as the other stories do.
The winner of the Stella Prize was announced this week with Evie Wyld awarded the prize for her novel The Bass Rock.
The Bass Rock weaves together the lives of three women across four centuries. The Bass Rock sits off the coast of Scotland and the women are linked to this place and each other. In the early 1700s Sarah is accused of being a witch, Ruth moves into a new house at North Berwick with her new husband after WWII, six decades later Viv catalogues Ruth's belongings. The novel explores these threads and brings them together.
The Chair of the Judging Panel, Zoya Patel, said:
'The Bass Rock is a consuming and perplexing book, one that forces the reader to engage with the unique narrative structure, but in a way that feels effortless, so engaged are you by the story. This is a novel that demonstrates the author's versatility of style, with the separate narrative parts each having an individual voice. And yet, at no point does the book feel disjointed. Instead, it is as though Evie Wyld has chosen each and every word with precision, building a novel that is a true work of art."
Wyld received the award and its $50,000 prize money at a virtual award ceremony which was live streamed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Evie Wyld won the Miles Franklin Award in 2014 for her second novel All The Birds, Singing.
Joyce Carol Oates is a prolific writer, penning countless stories, plays, novels, and more in her six decade career as an author. The (Other) You (2021), her latest collection of short stories, focusses on paths not taken. The characters of the fifteen tales experience regret and longing, love and disappointment.
The Purple Onion Cafe appears in a trilogy of stories. The cafe was damaged by a bombing, and some stories take place after it has been reconstructed. In 'Women Friends' two women meet at the cafe, where later in the book Matt Smith is 'Waiting for Kizer' in an overlong story, and 'Final Interview' which loops back to earlier stories.
There is no doubt that Oates is a gifted writer. Some of these stories feel autobiographical, penned from lived experience, such as 'The Unexpected' in which a famous writer returns to her hometown in upstate New York to receive an award from the University, finds the town altered and not entirely as she remembered.
The standouts in this collection are the shorter stories like 'Where are you?' about an elderly couple where the husband refuses to wear a hearing aid and does not hear her when she needs him. Likewise 'Hospice/Honeymoon' is a heartbreaking story about a married couple deciding on palliative care.
The longer stories, like 'Blue Guide', did not work so well and tended to meander. This story started out with promise - upon retirement, a professor journeys to Italy with his wife, to relive his memories of time spent there as a young man. He finds that the town is not the same as he remembers and consults his decades-old blue guide travel book to find his bearings. The story lost pace as it went on, with the professor repeatedly coming across things that were not quite as he recalled.
Short story collections can be hit-or-miss. On the whole, I found The (Other) You to be a miss which was disappointing as I had been looking forward to it. While there were a handful of delightful gems, the collection did not pull together leaving me dissatisfied.
It is hard to imagine a more perfect time to publish a book by a former Member of Parliament about her time in politics than right now, when the frustrations of women about the culture of Australian politics have reached fever pitch and the spotlight is firmly on the government boys' club.
With Sex, Lies and Question Time (2021), Kate Ellis has written a startling account of her time in Parliament, from her election at age 27 in 2004 to her departure in 2019. More than a memoir, this book features interviews with women of all political persuasions including Julia Gillard, Penny Wong, Tanya Plibersek, Sarah Hanson-Young, Pauline Hanson, Sussan Ley, Julie Bishop and Linda Burney. The commonalities that emerge paint a picture of a toxic workplace in which entitled men govern for themselves and women are sidelined, gaslighted, and worse.
Sexual innuendo and gossip are rife, as are critiques of women's bodies, clothes, appearance. Ellis' first introduction to the culture occurred shortly after her election when she was asked how many people she had to sleep with to get her job. Over her 15 years in Parliament she was intensely scrutinised and had many rumours spread about her, in an effort to undermine her.
As a young woman who rose to the Ministry in the Rudd government after only three years in Parliament, Ellis faced a lot of criticism even from within her party. But Ellis was never a light-weight. She is intelligent, strategic and was able to get things done. I had the pleasure of meeting Ellis several times when she was the Minister for Early Childhood Education. Of all the Ministers I engaged with in this portfolio, Ellis had the most genuine interest and understanding of the importance of the early years and a commitment to ensuring quality and universal access.
Sex, Lies and Question Time is compulsively readable - it is frank, honest and clear. Ellis has structured the chapters thematically - weaponising sexual gossip, slut shaming, the politics of motherhood - and the cumulative effect of reading is one of disappointment and rage. The chapter on the 'sisterhood' makes it clear that not all women are agreed on the changes needed to improve the culture - party-solidarity and threats from within also restrict women from speaking out. Fortunately, Ellis includes a chapter on why it's worth it - talking about public service and the transformative effect of progressive government policy decisions. Here she makes a convincing case for women entering politics.
One of the interesting segments is on whether women in Parliament should have spoken out louder and earlier against sexism, particularly during the Gillard years when our Prime Minister faced relentless criticism, which culminated in her now-legendary misogyny speech. The consensus, in hindsight, is that more should have been done by people in Parliament, the media and the broader public to speak out against this appalling behaviour.
Ellis finished her book prior to the current culture crisis facing Parliament and she did not know all the allegations that would surface in the lead up to publication. Reading this book mere weeks after the March for Justice - in the shadow of Brittney Higgins' rape allegations, the accusations against Christian Porter, the revolting desk incident, the Andrew Laming up-skirting and more - only serves to fuel the compelling need for change.
Women shouldn't have to put up with this crap anywhere. Our Parliamentarians needs to be standard bearers, legislating to protect against sexual harassment and demanding better workplaces for all people. This disgraceful behaviour needs to be called out and swiftly dealt with. But this is not simply a 'woman's issue' - it is a matter for everyone. As Ellis writes in her introduction, 'A better parliament would mean a better Australia. That's why it should matter to all of us.'
When I was a kid, I absolutely loved Choose Your Own Adventure books. Through reading, I could take on a role - detective, mountain climber, spy, or another exciting profession - and embark on a thrilling expedition. I might journey under the sea, travel through time, meet an abominable snowman, go to space and, depending on the path I chose, the novels would lead me to safety or peril. I loved the idea of creating my own story and the ability to re-read these books over and over with a different adventure each time.
Decades later I have just had an adult version of this experience, through reading Intan Paramaditha's The Wandering (2020), translated by Stephen J Epstein. Longlisted for the Stella Prize, I was intrigued by the premise of the story in which the Devil offers a twenty-something Indonesian teacher, a pair of red shoes that will allow her to travel the world. The deal with the Devil will mean that she can wander, but may never find a home.
She accepts the deal and wakes in New York City where the adventure begins. Along the way, the reader makes choices - do you go to Zagreb or Amsterdam? Do you give someone the shoes or take them with you? Some sections have headings - cafe, market, airport, wigs, hotel - and various story paths may lead the reader to the same spot. But as with all choices, there are consequences for the decisions you make. Some choices lead to positive adventures while other paths lead you to an ill-fated ending.
What I liked about Paramaditha's book is the risk she took in crafting such a complex tale. She has woven in to the story a number of Indonesian legends, mythology and fairytales, while exploring important themes of privilege, freedom of movement, borderlands, statelessness and colonialism. The Wizard of Oz theme runs throughout the book, sometime overtly but often in a subtle way.
I really wanted to love this book but I found that it did not work entirely well for me. After my first adventure had me staying in New York way too long, I tried again with other paths chosen and found that some versions of the tale lacked coherence. Perhaps the missing link for me was that I could not totally immerse myself in the story because I was removed from the narrator. What pleased me most about my childhood adventure choosing was that the narrator was undefined so I could become the main character in the story. In The Wandering, the narrator is defined and I never felt entirely as though I was in her shoes.
Ultimately, the red shoes didn't quite fit me but I am glad I tried them on and wandered around for a while.
Edna O'Brien's novella August is a Wicked Month (1965) is a modern classic on the 1001 books you should read before you die list. Banned in several countries, including the author's homeland of Ireland, it would have been considered provocative at the time for portraying women as having sexual desire.
Ellen Sage longs for connection. Separated from her husband, she lives alone in London with her young son whom she adores. But at 28 she is not ready to give up the possibility of finding love again. She has a passionate encounter with a handsome man who is in another relationship and not truly available to her. So when her ex takes their son on a camping holiday to Wales, Ellen decides to go on an adventure of her own.
The French Riviera is a playground for the rich and famous, and here Ellen can transform into someone other than wife/mother. After her oppressive Irish Catholic upbringing, where the threat of ending up in the Magdalen Laundries ensured her sexual repression, she has flung off her faith and is seeking sexual freedom. From bellboys to violinists, opportunities for sex are everywhere, but when she finds them they are awkward, clumsy and unfulfilling. Plus, whenever she is propositioned or has the opportunity for sex, she suddenly thinks of her son and her maternal responsibilities.
During her stay there is a tragedy back home that she cannot bear to face, so she stays on in France to numb her grief and drain her limited resources. When she eventually goes home, will she return to her old life or will she be someone new?
While some of the situations Ellen finds herself in feel a bit contrived, O'Brien has created an authentic character. Flawed, dull and naive, Ellen makes some terrible choices in her quest to carve out a new identity for herself. There are some lovely moments, such as when she shops for 'honeymoon' clothes and takes delight in wearing trousers - Ellen is literally reinventing herself through changing her wardrobe for this trip. Indeed, this scene reminded me of Muriel Spark's The Driver's Seat (1970) where Lise buys new clothes for her holiday. While the two novellas both feature women on solo holidays, the two protagonists could not be more different.
August is a Wicked Month feels a bit dated now but one can imagine how controversial it would have been upon publication. Unfortunately sexual repression and double standards for women continue fifty years later. Reading this novel I regularly thought of Lisa Taddeo's Three Women (2019) and the unfulfilled sexual longings of the young women in that book, and how Ellen could have easily been one of the three.
Mere weeks after the Longlist was issued, the 2021 Stella Prize Shortlist has been announced! The twelve nominees have been whittled down to six finalists in the running for this important literary award.
In compiling this shortlist, the chair of the judging panel, Zoya Patel, says:
“The 2021 Stella Prize shortlist truly demonstrates the immensity of talent in Australian women and non-binary authors. This shortlist is varied, diverse, and reflects on urgent themes across the gamut of human experience. These books explore grief, loss, joy, hope, and anger. They feature strong and imposing women characters and authorial voices, and as diverse as they are in style, tone and topic, they are united by their expression of the Stella criteria of original, excellent and engaging.”
For more information and the complete judges comments, see the Stella Prize website.
When the longlist was announced, I predicted the shortlisted works would include McKay, Milligan, Riwoe, Simpson and Wyld. I got four of them right! I only wish there was more time to enjoy the longlist before the shortlist was announced.
The winner will be announced on 22 April 2021. I have read and loved Louise Milligan's compelling Witnessand I am cheering her on for the win. I have just started Evie Wyld's The Bass Rock and so far it is wonderful.
Station Eleven (2014), the gripping story by Emily St John Mandel set in the aftermath of a deadly pandemic, was one of the best novels I read last year. Mandel has such a creative way of building an interwoven story, with fascinating characters and beautiful settings.
Her latest novel, The Glass Hotel (2020), likewise weaves together many disparate threads in a story of a different kind of collapse. A Ponzi scheme (a la Madoff) crumbles, shattering the lives of investors, employees and families. Told in a non-linear way, we learn about many of these characters before, during and after the decline of the 'Kingdom of Money'.
Hotel Caiette, a glittering glass structure in a secluded outpost on Vancouver Island, is the anchor to this tale. Accessible only by water, its isolation in a natural wilderness attracts wealthy patrons seeking to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city.
Jonathan Alkaitis, CEO of an investment firm, is a regular. On one of his visits, the hotel's glittering majesty is shaken by graffiti written on the window - why don't you swallow broken glass. This act of vandalism disturbs guest Leon Prevant, is missed by Alkaitis, and leads to the departure of sibling hotel staff members Paul and Vincent. Vincent lands on her feet, as Jonathan's trophy wife, spending her days shopping in Manhattan and nights by the pool in Alkaitis' Connecticut mansion. Then the Ponzi scheme fails and she must reinvent herself again.
Like Station Eleven, part of the appeal of this novel for me is the familiarity of many of the places. When Paul goes clubbing in Toronto in the 1990s, I was immediately transported to my hometown, to a place and time I have such fondness for. The scenes in Vancouver and Vancouver Island, New York and beyond, utterly transported me to a past life and strong memories of places I love and long to see again.
I really enjoyed The Glass Hotel. There were so many moments where Mandel's brilliance shone through - Jonathan's imagining of his 'counter-life', the eerie emptiness of the hotel without guests, the final days of Alkaitis' firm - and in reading there was a sense of putting pieces together in a large puzzle. As a reader, there is so much joy in immersing yourself in the story, finding clues to storylines that pull you back and push you forward. It was delightful to be reacquainted with characters Leon and Miranda from Station Eleven, but you do not need to read that novel to enjoy this one. Ultimately, I preferred Station Eleven, perhaps because it felt more urgent and timely. I can't wait to see what Emily St John Mandel comes up with next.
The Glass Hotel was shortlisted for the 2020 Giller Prize.
