Tuesday 13 August 2019

The Shepherd's Hut by Tim Winton

The title refers to a dilapidated corrugated-iron structure somewhere deep in the bush somewhere between Perth and Geraldton – quintessential Winton territory.

The hut is stumbled upon by 17-year – old Jaxie Clacton, victim, with his mother, of lifelong violence at the hands of his father. The flight from a toxic home was precipitated by the gruesome death of his father which, while accidental, is likely to be blamed on Jaxie: it's no secret in the town that he despised the man he calls ‘Captain Wankbag’, the definition of toxic masculinity, whose only mate is the town cop.

In a state of near starvation and dehydration which has overcome his bushcraft and ability to hide, Jaxie is discovered by the hut's occupant – ageing, self-sufficient, gentle Irish Catholic priest, Fintan McGillis.

In that hut, despite his suspicion of the priest and single-minded resolve to reach his girlfriend Lee, Jaxie appears to find the only real sanctuary of his life. Mateship based on mutual need and grudging respect reaches undemonstrative but sincere affection.

Jaxie eventually is driven to leave and continue his journey alone. That decision leads to an excruciatingly ugly ending.

That bare outline does not, however, come close to the true scope of the book. Tim Winton never preaches, never provides simplistic solutions to the deep social issues of Australian life; his characters are imperfect and sometimes detestable, but always human in their struggles.

In this story, through the reflections of a damaged adolescent, the reader confronts the stark ugliness of domestic violence, exacerbated by toxic small – town culture: Jaxie reflects bitterly on a community tolerant of his father's brutality and dodgy business deals, but never came to the aid of his abused mother, who was generally regarded as ‘…just another budgie-brain female too stupid to save herself.’ However, Jaxie betrays a degree of ambivalence in his own thoughts about his mother: why, he asks himself, did she not take him and escape in the car? And, while never excusing the violence, the author slips in a reference to the father's past military service.

During Jaxie's lonely, hungry journey, his haphazard thoughts range through the irrelevance of religion in real life, his casual racism (‘…goon-drinking darkies’), teenage love and the taboo of incest because Lee, the beloved to whom he is running, is his first cousin.

Until the discovery of the hut, these reflections are all silent soliloquies. Then the mystery of the exiled priest’s banishment from his church, and Jaxie's revolted assumption of paedophelia, allow for the development of a character, Fintan McGillis, not a ‘pedo' but burdened by some dark past event alluded to only as witnessing a mass grave somewhere. Thus we are brought to a dialogue: the gradual realisation by a disillusioned adolescent (and through him, the reader) that not all priests are paedophiles, but sometimes tolerant and kind souls; and that Fintan's former adherence to strict Catholic orthodoxy has dissolved into a wider spirituality – in his case, the mysticism of a rock formation by moonlight and the harsh beauty of the natural environment.

This is a huge, wonderful, epic novel. Tim Winton, as always, sweeps away the romanticised suburban notions of idyllic tree-change lifestyle in small towns and the bush as brutally as a modern-day Henry Lawson. His use of the Australian vernacular gloriously thumbs its nose at our cultural cringe, and his descriptions of our unique landscape absolutely nail its harsh, beautiful reality. No pretty picture postcards here – this is Australia.

Review by Helen.

Friday 8 March 2019

Manhattan Beach by Jennifer Egan

A wide-ranging, comprehensive historical story of a working class family, set in Brooklyn, New York, in the context of WW2, this book encompasses the social impact of the war on an American population recovering from the Depression, but still characterised by traditional norms of family, hard work, and women who aspired to comfortable, invisible marriage – the only alternative being the ostracism and isolation of single poverty.

The Kerrigan family lives in working-class Brooklyn, on the sixth floor of a typical tenement building: cramped, no lifts, all the neighbours known to one another. We know by the end of the first chapter that they are not quite the everyday family; Anna is the elder of 2 daughters, and the constant companion of her father Eddie, who takes her with him on visits to deliver ‘notes and packages’ to his Union colleagues. The younger daughter, Liddy, is profoundly disabled, cared for at home with boundless love and attention by Anna and her mother –but, it soon appears, an object of guilt and rejection by Eddie, who cannot accept her condition and despite loving his wife and being a ‘good provider’, spends little time at home.

When Anna goes with her father for a mysterious visit (in reality a recruitment test) to Ed Styles, shady nightclub owner and devoted family man, two elements of the story are established: Eddie is a bagman for the Syndicate, and Anna has a passion for the nearby beach which continues into her adulthood.

The story quite abruptly jumps forward about 10 years, to rejoin adult Anna and her adult companions, all women recruited to ‘war work’ in a Naval assembly factory in the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Anna is quickly seen to be a rebel who defies the rule about eating lunch in the building with the boring ‘marrieds’, and spends her lunch breaks exploring the docks and befriending the wild and beautiful Nell.

 Eddie has disappeared years since, without any farewell or obvious reason, and is presumed dead. Anna and her mother continue to care for Liddy with devotion but without hope.

Anna’s restless boredom and love of the sea crystallise when she sees Navy divers training on the docks, and, helped by the war-related scarcity of male recruits, she manages to get a trial with the divers. We realise the entrenched misogyny of the time through her excruciating humiliation by the officer in charge, and feel her exhaustion and inner toughness as she prevails to become an accomplished diver.

Meanwhile, Anna is introduced to nightclub life by Nell, and meets Ed Styles – she recognises him while he of course does not recognise her as the child of the beach, and she gives him a false name.
 The wild and illicit affair that ensues consumes both of them, and is one of the best-written descriptions of sexual abandon that I have read. The story becomes more intense and involving as it moves through the diving dramas, the death of Liddy, the mother’s search for new meaning away from New York and Anna’s increased freedom and independence.

The fate of Ed Styles, the consequences of the affair, and sudden news about Eddie, keep the story fascinating, a real page-turner that continually reminds us of the historical setting of the war, the social environment, and mainly, for me, believable characters whose lives I cared about.

The only parts that I considered over-written and tedious, and tempted me to skip pages, were a couple of the diving sequences – enough already! Overall, I loved the book, with its depiction of the period and the constant presence of the ocean and the centrality of the docks and shipping  to the growth of New York.


Review by Helen

Thursday 14 February 2019

The Plague Dogs ~ Richard Adams



My book club theme this month is a book narrated from an animal’s perspective.  My library had a limited choice so basically I was looking at a re-read of Watership Down, or James Herbert’s Fluke, when I stumbled upon an audio version of The Plague Dogs by Richard Adams.  I vaguely remembered trying to watch the movie, not liking it and switching it off within the first five minutes, so although I wasn’t terribly keen on reading the book, faced with a lack of options, I downloaded it.

I found the writing style very dated and at times a little off-putting (Digby Driver’s confrontation with ‘Annie Mossity’ had me cringing) but it unexpectedly pulled me into the unfolding drama.  I became very fond of the upbeat Snitter and his cynical side kick Rowf, the two dogs who dare to escape from an animal testing facility in the north of England.

The narrative alternates between that of the dog’s point of view, the staff at the testing facility and a journalist who sensationalises the story to the point where the general public is in fear of two pathologically evil dogs who may be carrying the bubonic plague.  Of course this is far from the truth as Snitter and Rowf are just two frightened creatures who have suffered the most terrible injustices at the hands of men, and are just wanting to find a master they can trust.

The main theme of the novel of course is animal cruelty and greed.  The various experiments that were being done on animals at the time of the novel’s publication (and likely still on-going) are attributed to the fictional testing facility (with the wonderful acronym of A.R.S.E.) highlighting the barbarianism of what is done in the name of science. Though, there is a slight nod to science at the end of the novel when a character acknowledges to his dying daughter that a cure will one day be found for her condition thanks to the animal testing.  And man’s cruelty is highlighted in a different form when The Tod, a wily fox who helps Snitter and Rowf survive in the wild, comes face to face with the terrors of the fox hunt.

The human characters are rather wooden with stilted and dated dialogue, but the time spent with Rowf and Snitter were wonderful as Adams has captured each breed’s personality perfectly with their dialogue.

I read that the movie ending is closer to what Adams really wanted for the story, but thank goodness he was persuaded to write a conclusive ending for the novel.  All the way through the book I was thinking ‘Puhlease let this have a happy ending’!!  And yes, I bawled my eyes out at the end, as it was all I could have wished for!!

Review by Maxine


Sunday 1 April 2018

The Year of The Hare ~ Arto Paasilinna

I enjoyed this book far more than I thought I would.  I think the idea of sloughing off the strains of society and taking your life in your own hands appealed to me most.  The book follows the main character Vatanen as he extricates himself from everyday society and decides to live an itinerant life with his rescued hare in Finland. 

I was intrigued throughout the whole book with his adventures, and his ability to relax into life and take what it gives you and make the best of it.  It is only a short read, and definitely worth a look if you have ever thought about giving it all up and living a freer version of life.

Review by Leah

The Buddha, Geoff and Me ~ Edward Canfor-Dumas


This was an unexpected treasure which I listened to as an audiobook.  I was engrossed very quickly and loved how it made Buddhism accessible and relevant to everyday life.  

The main character Ed is so indicative of modern day society and how we have a tendency to blame our environment, other people and everything but ourselves for our circumstances.  It definitely made me look at my life and my attitudes and how I can change them for the better.  I really enjoyed this novel and listening to the character develop over time and grow.  

I recommend this to anyone interested in learning a little more about Buddhism and a little more about themselves.

Review by Leah

Tandia ~ Bryce Courtenay

This follow on novel from The Power of One has strong emotional pull as by now you're already very attached to the main character Peekay.  

Tandia follows Peekay as he moves into adulthood and follows his dreams to become the Welterweight Boxing Champion of the World, and to become a lawyer in his homeland of South Africa. 

Simultaneously we follow the life of Tandia, a mixed race coloured girl in a deeply racist nation.  As they both fight for a more fair and just South Africa, we witness the struggles of a nation and its people, torn apart by bitter hatred and injustice.  Peekay's character is one I will always remember and I'm sure I will re-read both of these beautiful books.  

I was mesmerised by Bryce Courtenay's descriptions of Africa and its people, and the insights into human nature and loyalty.  I wasn't ready for it to end,  I wanted to keep reading about Peekay until he was an old man!  

I thoroughly enjoyed this and would highly recommend it!

Review by Leah

Saturday 27 May 2017

Mother of the Year by Karen Ross

JJ (Juliet Jackson) is the twenty something protagonist of this novel, and we see her enjoy a happy relationship with her boyfriend Rob, a distant relationship with her Mum and a strongly bonded friendship with her best friend Theodora.  JJ wishes her Mum would be more like a normal Mum, but Beth Jackson is dedicated to her media career, leaving little time to spare. Beth has always striven to be a good Mum, having had JJ at fifteen years of age. She publicly declared in a newspaper column that she would not be depending on welfare handouts, committing herself to her work. 


We see JJ struggle for a plum role in her workplace at an advertising firm. We see JJ have a constant internal battle with herself because her Mum is often publishing columns or doing television gigs in which she discusses her daughter's life. And we witness JJ wishing her boyfriend would suggest that they live together. Theodora, an artist and JJ's house mate and best friend, gets JJ to move out and return to living with her parents as she needs JJ's bedroom to work on her latest art project. 

The novel finishes with the reader celebrating mothers and daughters, especially the relationship between Beth and JJ. Beth, pregnant, and JJ attend a studio to see Theodora's finished art project which features all the highlights of their relationship through the years in a sand sculpture. And excitement ensues - Beth goes into early labour at thirty weeks. 

JJ is awarded the plum role at work but turns it down, handing in her resignation to help her Mum with the new arrivals. 

I enjoyed reading this novel, in some parts it appeared to have quite trivial information, however, these pieces of information dovetailed quite nicely to bring the book to a satisfying conclusion. 

Review by Bianca