Certain Lives: The Compelling Story Of The Hope, Tragedy And Triumph Of Three Generations Of Women

This novel was recommended at a recent Society of Australian Genealogists Friday Book Hangout. We we were all suggesting books that might appeal to family historians. This one called out to me because it is partly set in the Cowpastures/Camden area where my convict ancestors were married.

This is a three-generation (and probably more) story which starts in England in about 1830 and follows the journey of a free couple and their children out to Australia and the progress of their descendants. The focus is on the matriarchs of the family; the grandmother, daughter and grand-daughter. Much of the latter story is set in south western New South Wales at Coolamon or thereabouts. There is a lot of history to cover; early settlement, the Gold Rush, the first World War and the Depression.

The book is over 400 pages and had to be obtained as an inter-library loan through the Brisbane City Council (thank you Wagga Library for entrusting me with it). I had two weeks to read it so was on a strict timetable. This did not allow me to savour it but rather pushed me through some bits which I would have otherwise found somewhat repetitive and indeed may have caused me to give up and toss aside.

At times I found the religious overtones almost too much and wondered if younger readers might find them too off-putting. On reflection, however, I was glad I persisted. Methodism, or what became the Uniting Church, was a powerful force in this particular family's life (check out the author's biography on Wikipedia). Whether we agree with it personally or not, it certainly shaped the family's response to and experience of historical events and should not be discounted.

As always, this account reconfirmed how much easier we have it these days in terms of house-keeping/home-making. Just the business of preserving meat, fruit and vegetables was a full-time job on its own without having to wash and care for a family. As the old refrain goes, "I don't know how our grandmothers did it all!"

It was lovely to read the Epilogue and hear how stories had been passed down through the generations. I particularly liked the one of the pioneering grandmother who refused to get off the boat until her husband went into Sydney to buy her a bonnet to replace the one lost earlier on the long and arduous voyage. Bless her heart.

Did I learn anything new? Yes I think I did. I was particularly fascinated to read about how the original wealthy landowners went belly-up as it were in I think the 1840s-50s so I need to read up more about that particular part of Australian history. I also didn't know about how hard it was for farmers during the depression with the government promising certain prices for prices for wheat and then defaulting on those promises. And as I say, it also opened my eyes to how much religion can be a driving force in a family and how that should be taken into account in considering ancestor's lives, even if it's not the case in today's world.

This novel is testament to the love the author has for her ancestors' fortitude and strength of character. Reeson has also written biographies and historical accounts covering a wide range of topics. I may have to read more!

Girl in the Walls by A.J. Gnuse

 

I received this book as part of #BRPreview. 

I am not usually a gothic novel reader so was initially apprehensive. The story ticks all the boxes when it comes to the conventions of a Gothic novel but it is not Frankenstein. This is American Southern Gothic literature; something quite different. 

The setting is in the months leading up to Hurricane Katrina in 2005. 

At first, I wrestled with the premise of a young girl living inside the walls of her old home while a new family lived there. As she climbed up and down inside the walls like a spider monkey, I was mentally sputtering "Preposterous!". But I have lived long enough now to know nothing is impossible. 

Once disbelief was suspended, I had a fine old time, scaring myself silly with the "monster" who inevitably shows up. 

This book is a triumph on many levels: the writing, the characters, the pacing. I loved the short little chapters. They helped ease me into the story and made me feel I could dip my toes in carefully. A big thank you to all who brought this story to life. So many important ideas to think and talk about; what is home, a monster,  fear ? Great job!

The Mountains Sing by Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai

 

I read this book in a bit of a rush because I decided I wanted to participate in the first Avid Reader online bookclub.  (If you would like to participate, you can register for the next one on 2 March.  It will be about Labyrinth by Amanda Lohrey).  Thanks to Gold Coast Libraries I was able to find an e-version quickly.

This from Avid Reader's website:

Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai was born in Việt Nam in 1973, and grew up witnessing the war's devastation of her country. She worked as a street seller and rice farmer before winning a scholarship to attend university in Australia. She is the author of eight books of poetry, short fiction and non-fiction in Vietnamese. Her writing has been translated and published in more than ten countries and has received many honors, including the Hà Nội Writers Association's Poetry of the Year 2010 Award. She currently divides her time between Indonesia and Việt Nam.

I had about five days to read The Mountains Sing.  Let me tell you, I had no trouble reading it at all.  It was very engaging from the get-go.  

As a family historian, I was delighted to see the Tran Family Tree on the first page.  And indeed, this is a family saga, told from two points of view, see-sawing between the grand-daughter's and then the grandmother's point of view.  

My bookclub read Pachinko last year which was a real eye-opener to me in terms of history and this was much the same. I was transported immediately into the Vietnam war and its terror.  

This is not a memoir, rather a fictitious story made from stories told to Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai combined with her own memories and experience.  

What I loved about the book was that it was by-and-large a compelling read.  I say by-and-large because there was one point in the book, about two-thirds of the way through, where I started to feel it getting "soapy" and I felt "outside" the story rather than being immersed in it.  I almost felt that it was written by another author in bits.  

The online bookclub discussion was very good and other readers offered insights into why I might have felt this way e.g. problems with translation; sometimes it is hard to capture subtleties in language.  But not to worry, this was only for a short while and then I became engaged in the story again.

I also loved the lyrical quality of the language.  There are some standout passages in this story.  The one that resonated or touched me deeply was the following one:

My mother was like a tree uprooted.  She would just sit there on the phan, her gaze distant and empty.  Minh, Ngoc and Dat didn't leave her alone, though.They surrounded her, becoming the soil of her life, demanding that she grow new roots. "Grandma, play with us," they said, pulling her arms, leading her out of the house, and into their childhood games.

Just beautiful, no?

I gave this 4/5 stars in the end.  It certainly stimulated me emotionally AND intellectually and  I learned heaps e.g. I grew up thinking Hanoi and Saigon were just that but no, they are Ha Noi and Sai Gon.  Just little things like that makes me realize how ignorant I am.  As if I didn't need more reminders ;)  The author describes the complexity of the Vietnam War from the families who didn't fit neatly into North and South, or indeed the soldiers.  I had no idea about the Great Hunger and the description of Land Reform was truly shocking.

Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai wrote this story as a plea for no more war.  She didn't need to convince me but I hope her book is widely read and disabused anyone who thinks there might be glory or salvation in war.  

If you would like to see the Avid Reader interview with Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai you can catch it on YouTube here.

Honeybee by Craig Silvey

I finished 4 books in January.  My review of Memorial Drive is the blog post before this.  Then I read Weather by Jenny Offill, Honeybee by Craig Silvey and Nobody Will Tell you this but Me by Bess Kalb.  All very different books.

Today I will review Honeybee by Craig Silvey.

Craig is an Australian writer based in Western Australia.  He is probably most famous for his novel Jasper Jones.  I confess to not having read Jasper Jones but I did see the movie.  Does that count?  I can highly recommend it.  It was directed by Rachel Perkins and has a to-die-for cast including Toni Collette, Hugo Weaving, Dan Wyllie, and Susan Prior.  

I was very slow to read Honeybee. Everybody else seemed to read it waaaay before I did.  I was lucky to borrow it from the Ipswich Library service and they had plenty of copies to borrow at their wonderful Karalee Book Pod.

The subject matter didn't feel very original to me at the beginning.  I kept thinking to myself "Oh this is a bit of Julie and Julia or Animal Kingdom.  But I persevered and slowly the characters started to grab hold of me.  More importantly, I began to worry for Sam.  There is a wide range of characters in this story from drug addicts to bullies, to drag queens and Vietnam Vets.  Craig did a great job of making them all believable.  In particular, I loved Sam's friend Aggie's character to bits; so unique and funny as well as being heartbreakingly honest and a real friend.  

Going back through the book I am surprised how quickly the story unfolds (much quicker than I remember). The best bit about the book was that you weren't told why Sam was called Honeybee until the very end.  I loved that.

I gave Honeybee 4/5 stars and mostly because Craig captured the kind of ghastly conversations someone has with a bully.  They were so gut-wrenching for me to read.  Let me give you an example:

"The fuck are you doing?"

'Nothing'

I tried to close the door, but he blocked me.

"The fuck is this?"

'Nothing.'

"Doesn't fucking look like nothing.'

He stepped inside and I backed away.

'It's nothing. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry.'

He pushed me hard. I fell back.  He closed the door behind him. Then he picked up the iPad.

'Who's this? What are you, a faggot?"

I shook my head.

Steve snapped the iPad in half and threw it aside.

"You're not a faggot?'

'No"

'Then what are you?'

"Nothing.'

"You're nothing?"

'Yes. No."

And so on.  You get the picture.  Pretty harrowing stuff to read.    

But it's not all doom and gloom.  Sam thankfully meets some wonderful people who give them just the support they need to discover who they are, grow strong and be at ease with their identity.

So in summary, the plot is compelling and I think Craig deal with the issues sympathetically but without pulling any punches.  

Yes, I would recommend this book to others but it's not for everyone and comes with a language warning and flags for issues like suicide and gender-identity.