The Month that was… July 2023

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Road Trip

We set off for warmer places and drove 2400 kilometres to reach Airlie Beach. It took us fourteen days with a bit of adventure on the side.

The highlight for me was a tour of a seventy-two thousand acre beef cattle station near Carnarvon Gorge where we explored ancient aboriginal cave paintings, saw ancient cycads and peered up at colourful sandstone cliff-faces. The second highlight was prospecting for sapphires in the gemfields near Emerald. I can fully admit that I was seized with gem-stone fever as I uncovered a spectacular green sapphire.

What I’ve been reading.

It’s hard to know what books to pack for a road trip. Should I pack a suitcase?

Instead I packed just one hard copy, The Marriage Portrait and the rest were ebooks. This is what I picked.

Reviews will come out soon.

We are still travelling so until next month…happy reading.

Book Review: A Disappearance in Fiji by Nilima Rao

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A novel set in Fiji in 1914 about a missing indentured Indian woman was bound to be intriguing. This debut historical fiction by Australian author Nilima Rao was a page-turner, enlightening the reader about the conditions of Indian Indentured workers early last century.

A young Sikh policeman, Akal Singh is posted from Hong Kong to Fiji in disgrace.  He is sent to a distant cane plantation to find a missing indentured Indian woman. The plantation owner declares she has run off with the overseer with whom she has been having an affair. A parish priest challenges that by saying she’s been kidnapped.  When Singh arrives at the plantation, he finds that not all is what it seems and he is shocked by the work conditions of his fellow countrymen.

There are several themes in this book, the colonial system, racism as well as the class divide not just between the races but even within the Indian community. Of course, sexism is explored and the way women are treated, where questions of justice and morals contradict the system of exploitation by the colonial system. The brutality and squalor of the indentured system was well portrayed.

 I liked the comradery between Akal and the white doctor who is pleasingly on the side of justice. There are times where I yearned for Akal to look a little wider, his investigation slow at first but becomes more energetic as his confidence grows.

 It makes for a very compelling story with a nice twist at the end. Yet it still lends itself to a sequel. I’ll look out for that one.

Book Review: Bruny by Heather Rose

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Books about Tasmania by Tasmanians rarely seem to put a foot wrong for me lately and Bruny is no exception.

It is a fantastical story of a time in the future when a bridge costing two billion dollars is constructed to Bruny Island a short distance from Hobart. For those who know Tasmania and in particular, Bruny Island, the place is not highly populated nor would it warrant a six-lane bridge. Understandably an explosion which collapses part of the bridge brings Astrid Coleman, a UN negotiator home from the USA to help her brother, the premier get the bridge repaired before the next election.

While central to the book is the bridge, there are many other issues the author freely explores. One is the destruction of the environment, both sea and land. It is well known that the waters around this particular area have been polluted by fish farming and this is spelled out again with the advent of a bridge and tourists. The author doesn’t hold back on the political aspects and I enjoyed this immensely as she foresees into the future pinpointing Chinese influence and economic colonialization. She also throws a jab at the AFL and considering that Tasmania has just been allocated a team in the recent month she was remarkably accurate in her forecast back when she wrote this prior to 2019.

The author is passionate about what Tasmania has and what is stands to lose, forecasting the consequences of the climate crisis. The future may not be that unrealistic.

There is also a love story and one of family together with loyalty and the challenge of allegiance. But more importantly, it is a story of being home and finding the joy of the land we’ve grown up on and where we really belong.

There are many issues in this book which will have you nodding your head in agreement as you turn the page not wanting to put this down.

It’s well written, easy to read and highly topical. It makes me want to head back to Bruny Island again to see it while it still is pristine.

Put this one on your list.

The Fortune Men by Nadifa Mohamed

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This book was shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 2021 and was a book club pick for May.

It’s 1952. Mahmood Mattan lives in Cardiff and is a petty criminal walking the streets for opportunity. He’s cheeky, a pick-pocket, gambler and a proud Somalian. He is also deeply in love with his three young boys and his estranged wife. When he is accused of murdering a white Jewish woman, he believes in the English legal system and his innocence. His belief slowly crumbles amidst lies, mistaken identity and a system where privilege is not within his reach.

It’s a heart-breaking story and there is no happy ending. If anything, the carriage of injustice makes you angry and depressed. Mahmood is certainly a scallywag which he acknowledges but he admits he’s not a murderer. His blind faith in the legal system reveals the incompetence of all involved and all he has is the undying love of his wife and boys which of course only serves to make it all the more sad.

It is inspired by a true story as revealed at the end where justice was continually sought for years after. But what the author does is humanise the very details, putting us in Mahmood’s shoes, feeling all that he does. And it’s uncomfortable as we experience his fading hope.

It’s a descriptive book, probably a little too much for me as it slowed the story down. Yet the writing is beautiful so I can understand the shortlisting elevation.

It’s not a happy read but it is one about injustice, racial divides, and privilege. And that makes it an important one to read.

Book Review: The Christie Affair by Nina de Gramont

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I picked up this novel because I’d seen a documentary about Agatha Christie’s life and was particularly intrigued about the eleven days in 1926 when Agatha disappeared. Her explanation at the time was that she had no memory of what happened.

Agatha was known for her detective novels but her fame was minor until her disappearance, when her car was found abandoned, her fur coat and case still in it. Where did she go? What happened?  De Gramont reimagines the events of those eleven days which makes for a very compelling and twisted tale.

For a start the story is from the point of view of Nan O’Dea who is the lover of Agatha’s husband. Her story, tragic and traumatic made for some very difficult reading yet it was so compelling. I enjoyed the way Nan and Agatha’s story intersected and when Nan’s motivation is finally revealed our sympathy for her certainly escalates.

De Gramont highlights the class divide beautifully and the plight of single pregnant women, the Catholic church, abuse and the role of women in their ‘proper’ place as wives to look after their husbands.

We are given various points of view, though mainly it is told by Nan. At times, it almost seemed a little far-fetched as a double murder occurs reminiscent of one of Agatha’s own stories, until the twist towards the end reveals a plausible  connection to her.

This one was definitely a page-turner and quite well-written. How close it is to any semblance of truth? We will never know.

The Month that was… June 2023

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We’re in the thick of winter now and yet the roses are still blooming. How can that be?

Despite the cold there is still plenty to get excited about.

Two restaurant recommendations which I’ve loved are Yan in South Yarra, where the speciality is smoked food. Delicious. The second is Grazia in Glen Iris, an Italian restaurant. Try them out.

What I’ve been watching…

I headed off to the theatre this month to see Is God Is a play about twin sisters seeking justice for their long lost mother. It’s a quirky yet dark and disturbing story so much so that there was long list of trigger warnings before the start of the play. It was enthralling and gripping with sharp acting and well worth seeing.

If you live in Melbourne, try to see it before it ends July 15.

What I’ve been reading…

Another good month of reading… reviews to follow shortly.

It’s time to seek a warmer climate so we’re going to hit the road next month. Watch out for updates via Instagram posts.

Until next month…

Book Review: Without Further Ado by Jessica Dettmann

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This is a story about love but it’s much more than that.

Willa, a thirty-six-year-old woman with a series of relationships behind her is a romantic. Her great love is her work as a romance publisher where the movie, Much Ado about Nothing rules her decisions about the choice of book to publish as well as her own life.

The movie, watched when she was a sixteen-year-old made such an impact on her, that it unknowingly confined her actions and thoughts within her own limited expectations. On top of this she works for a publishing company whose CEO is the father of four other employees, brothers Dougal, Ewen, and twins Angus and Alistair. Besides the romance novels, they publish pamphlets but have the lifestyle of wealth and privilege. The only other employee is Willa’s cousin, Imogen who falls for Alistair and as we all know office relationships can either work or not.

The novel is full of humorous lines, particularly the dialogue and amusing scenes as the first half sets up the setting in Sydney and the characters particularly, Willa. Not a lot happens until half way through though. The story takes a turn I’d not expected and Willa is forced to make decisions and take charge in a toxic situation with unexpected consequences which begin to mirror the very revered Much Ado about Nothing.

Don’t worry too much if you don’t know this play because the plot is well and truly explained, probably a little more than needed for my liking, as it became a little bit repetitive.

While the second half of the novel was more interesting for me, there was too much internal dialogue of overthinking by Willa which began to become a little tedious and in part repetitive, slowing the story down. I found myself quite disinterested in Willa as she lamented her woes over and over.

Apart from that, I didn’t mind this light-hearted novel by a writer I’d not read before. It’s an easy read and would be perfect for a holiday or travel.