Notes from Eve Abbey ~ August 2015

Did you enjoy the TV version of Kate Grenville's enormously popular The Secret River about life in the early days of settlement?

If you haven't already read this, I hope you can find the time to do so soon. There is quite a lot more in the book that doesn't show in the TV series, while the play concentrates more on the issue of Aboriginal possession. In the book you can read about the life of William and Sal Thornhill in London before they were transported and their on-going relationship with their children. Two following books complete the life of the family. They are The Lieutenant and Sarah Thornhill (granddaughter).

Another really good book is Searching for the Secret River, in which Kate recounts all the work she did researching for The Secret River, in London as well as here. Family historians will definitely enjoy this as well as anyone trying to write a novel. It ends up being a fascinating story.

I was especially pleased to read Forever Young, the fifth book in the Glenroy trilogy written by Steven Carroll. Well, it is no longer a trilogy and is soon to be a sextet! The Glenroy series is The Art of the Engine Driver, The Gift of Speed, The Time we have Taken, Spirit of Progress and now Forever Young. These elegantly written books will be a pleasure for you to discover. I am a great fan. It was a good idea to distribute Forever Young together with a free copy of The Art of the Engine Driver, the first of the series, so you will know the three central characters, Vic, Rita and son Michael. Steven Carroll admits this is very autobiographical. The sixth and final volume will involve Vic in his youth so Forever Young is the end of the family story. Carroll aims to reveal the passionate hearts beneath the surface of suburban calm. His writing style for these stories is unusual and addictive, with constant repetition and soothing rhythm.

Carroll recently won the Prime Minister's Literary Award, in addition to his earlier awards as a Miles Franklin Winner and the Commonwealth Writers' Prize. He does not use the same style for his other books. There are several stories inspired by poems written by T.S. Eliot, including The Lost Life and A World of Other People.

The Miles Franklin Award was won this year by Sofie Laguna for her second adult novel, The Eye of the Sheep. Not a good title I think, and I was also not anxious to read yet another story about an autistic boy. However, I was quite overcome when I did read it. It became quite thrilling and heart-breaking. The story is told in the voice of the boy, whose imagination is never at rest, and nor is he. Sofie Laguna has done a marvellous job by exactly capturing this. And the story itself is one encountered by many families – with a little too much alcohol and domestic violence. I thoroughly recommend this excellent novel.

A good novel also on the Miles Franklin Shortlist is Golden Boys by Sonya Hartnett, who is better known for her Young Adult and Children's books. Sonya is a totally reliable author. All her books, and there are many, are interesting and good value. Although this book is for adults, it nonetheless features a group of children just beginning to form moral judgements. I really enjoyed this.

Appointment Northwest by successful poet Peter Skrzynecki is a tender memoir about his very first posting as a country school teacher. Straight out of training college he is sent to Joegla, about 50 kilometres out of Armidale, to be sole Teacher-in-Charge of a tiny school with only 14 students. Quite a shock but an opportunity for him to try out his management style. He boards with a local family with whom he makes tight bonds and learns how to negotiate friendships in a small community. More importantly he begins to understand the very close attachment to the landscape which bolsters the locals, and he begins to find his poetic voice. This is a very nice book. Many of you will have read his poetry collection Immigrant Chronicle as it is an HSC required text but I also recommend his autobiography The Sparrow Garden.

Here's a quirky recommendation. Young German doctor, Giulia Enders, has written a very easy to read book called Gut: The Inside story of our body's most under-rated organ. This is all fascinating and is enlivened by line illustrations.

Keep well,

Eve

Buy these books at Abbey's (131 York Street Sydney) ~ An Aladdin's cave for readers

ABBEY'S BOOKSELLER PICK ~ AFTER DARKNESS by CHRISTINE PIPER

AFTER DARKNESS by Christine Piper

WINNER – The 2014 Australian/Vogel's Literary Award

The Vogel is always an interesting award, going as it does to an unpublished manuscript by a writer under 35. Over its 30-something years, it has had its share of controversy (The Hand that Signed the Paper, anyone?) and launched a number of important authors (hello Tim Winton/Kate Grenville/Gillian Mears!). Changes in the award structure a few years ago meant the book was published and released the day after the announcement of the winning story. Or, if you are lucky enough to attend the announcement ceremony, the showbag you leave with contains a couple of boxes of Vogel's breakfast cereals, and a copy of the winning book. So, I went home on Tuesday night and thought I'd better have a look - and four hours later had to put it down half-finished to be resumed and greedily finished the next day.

Tomakazu Ibaraki is the main character. The story starts in 1942 as he is on his way to an internment camp in South Australia. He had been working as a doctor in Broome, before being detained and sent to Loveday camp where a number of resident Japanese nationals (as distinct from prisoners-of-war) are interned. Many of the men had lived and worked in Australia for years, but some of them are locked up merely for having a Japanese parent, even though they are Australian-born and bred, and it is the anger these men feel at being treated as enemy aliens that is one of the most interesting themes of the book. As the reserved Tomakazu struggles to fit in, it becomes apparent that he is suffering from a sadness and guilt that predates his arrival in Broome in 1938. The novel moves in time, from 1942 back to 1938 and also 1934, when as a new medical intern Tomakazu is offered the chance to pursue microbiology research at the Army Medical College. Only gradually does he learn what the aim of the research truly is, and the internal conflict between his moral integrity and the need to retain honour by keeping to his commitment of confidentiality creates insurmountable difficulties that affect the rest of his life choices.

After Darkness is a compelling and finely written book. It reveals a little-known aspect of World War II history through a character who has not been able to reconcile societal expectations and personal experience. I truly think Christine Piper is an author to watch, and I won’t be surprised if in years to come her name is in the list of great Australian authors launched by the Vogel Award.

Lindy Jones


‘A brave, profound meditation on identity, trauma, loss and courage… reminds us that there are two sides to every war and that history never ceases to be written… A novel that demands its place alongside Richard Flanagan’s The Narrow Road to the Deep North and Mark Dapin’s Spirit House.’ – Stephen Romei, The Australian

~O~

Christine Piper's short fiction has been published in Seizure, SWAMP and Things That Are Found in Trees and Other Stories. She was the 2013 Alice Hayes writing fellow at Ragdale in the United States. She has studied creative writing at Macquarie University, the Iowa Writers' Workshop and the University of Technology, Sydney, where she wrote a version of this novel as part of her doctoral degree. She has also worked as a magazine editor and writer for more than a decade.

Buy these books at Abbey's (131 York Street Sydney) ~ An Aladdin's cave for readers

A Few Days in the Life of a Bookseller

I'd like a bookshelf for every time I've heard the words, "I'd like to work in a bookshop". As if the job only entails reading books all day, interspersed with the odd literary conversation with customers only too happy to throw money into the open till! It is a wonderful career, which you follow for love, not money, and it certainly has compensations for the hard work of getting books on the shopfloor and into readers' hands(and that's another topic altogether!)

I was pretty damned lucky to attend a booksellers' conference in Alice Springs just recently. Yes! Booksellers have conferences! Likeminded owners and employees of independent bookstores gathered together, discussing and learning about various topics, book and business both. But the highlights are always the authors, who are coerced/cajoled/carefully selected to address the gathering.

This year we started with the inimitable Don Watson regaling us with tales of his travels by train within the USA and the book, American Journeys, which was the result. What an amazing companion he would be (and you know, he's not that bad-looking either...)

Kate Grenville was there, surprising an assortment of interstate booksellers who did not recognise her, when she casually joined in conversations and was generally a warm and witty presence round the tables. Kate is working on a new book concerned with one of the most interesting characters on the First Fleet. I don't know how much I can say, so will leave it there, but suffice to say, it will be eagerly awaited by her many fans (and the booksellers who she so impressed!)

One of my favourites was Thomas H Cook, an author of the most exquisitely unfolding psychological thrillers. Usually in his books, a death has occurred, and it is not the police procedural that is important, but the profound effects of the death upon those around. What a delight to meet him - a charming southern gentleman, with a glorious drawl and courtly manners. His new book will not be out till July (Master of the Delta) and it certainly sounds worth waiting for!

I had the great good fortune to share dinner with Geraldine Brooks one night. She is witty and perceptive, has the most infectious giggle and a great and abiding interest in the people around her. I think each one of us at the dinner table came away feeling we had met one of the most interesting and intelligent of people. I loved her new novel, People of the Book but so have many others, making it a well-deserved number one bestseller.

David Michie took a room full of booksellers and showed them how to do a two-minute meditation. Let's just say there were a lot of people who may not have been open-minded about the subject, but might now see the benefits. Have a look at his new book and you might also be convinced!

One of my favorite historical novels last year was Blood of Flowers by Anita Amirrezvani Anita has an interesting personal story herself, born of a Lithuanian mother and an Iranian father, and she was a most interesting speaker. Her book is on the Orange Prize longlist this year.

Tim Winton was the 'surprise' guest speaker this year, but it's pretty hard to disguise someone like Tim in a town like Alice (sorry, I've been dying to slip that allusion in!) We were privileged to hear him read from his new novel due in May, Breath What can I say? It will be something beyond special.

The gala dinner speakers were Judith Lucy who has a new book also due in May, called The Lucy Family Alphabet. I reckon this will be tragi-comedy writ large, and will have the added advantage of showing you your own family, no matter how odd, is nowhere near as eccentric as Judith's. The other big name to drop from the conference is Peter Carey. He also read from his novel His Illegal Self. Not my favourite of his works, I'm beginning to think he should start on topics nearer to his life - or go back to the great imaginings of his earlier stories. But one should be grateful when famous authors acknowledge the booksellers. Shouldn't one?

So, yes, working in the book trade can have its moments of true pleasure. What a shame conferences only come but once a year - thankfully the books come more frequently! Lindy