After Story by Larissa Behrendt
At the surface, this is a simple story – an Indigenous mother and daughter, Della and Jazzy, take a tour of Britain’s significant literary sites. And if you took it at face value, it might feel a little info-dumpy (there’s lots of stuff about the Brontë sisters, Shakespeare, Sherlock Holmes and so forth). But there’s more – Behrendt has incorporated themes of cultural history (how it is recorded, acknowledged and celebrated), the significance and depth of Aboriginal history; and the losses suffered under coloniasm. And more – parallels are made been each of the tour group members and the lives of the long-dead authors who are the subject of the tour. And somehow, Behrendt also manages to draw parallels between Dreamtime stories and the law (as it is applied in Britain and Australia).
Most significantly, the story also tells of Della’s past loss – of her toddler, Brittany. The trauma is brought to the surface as reports of a missing British child dominate the news while they are visiting. Again, Behrendt uses the present to speak of the past – the Stolen Generation, the deeply felt grief, the inter-generational trauma. I’ve said a lot and yet, this story is far from ‘busy’. I hope it gets a wide audience because this is a master storyteller at work.
4/5
Gone by Min Kym
Kym’s memoir tells of her life in relation to the violin. A childhood prodigy, her sole focus was on performing. Early in her career as a soloist, she secured ‘the’ violin – a rare 1696 Stradivarius, perfectly suited to her build and temperament. However, on the verge of a world tour, her ‘Strad’ was stolen. Gone explores the disenfranchised grief that she experienced after the theft, and the impact on her career, relationships and mental health.
Although the description of her childhood was needed for context, it meant that the book started slowly. But once the Strad arrives, Kym’s story is engrossing. I really loved the way she described the emotional element of her work (and the words she puts around the loss of the Strad). I also loved how she explained that the loss of music had wounded her but that ultimately it also healed her. I was fascinated by the cost and upkeep of a violin, and the wheeling and dealing that occurs in the world of rare instruments. I was surprised by the ‘plot twists’ in terms of what happened after the violin was stolen. And since finishing, I have enjoyed listening to the beautiful accompanying soundtrack. You don’t need to love classical music to appreciate this fine memoir.
4/5
Prophet Song by Paul Lynch
Winner of the Booker prize in 2023, Lynch’s dystopian novel, set in Dublin, is so realistic, so possible, so familiar that it is terrifying. Some readers have criticised Lynch for creating an imaginary tyrannical society when, much of what is described, exists and is happening. I think that is the power of fiction – you access a world you may not otherwise know, and it opens your eyes to everything around you. Prophet Song works because the Dublin Lynch uses begins exactly as we now know it, and it’s only then, with a tiny shift, that things change. The tension mounts. The terror begins. It’s is brilliantly executed.
4/5
As part of the 20 Books of Summer reading challenge, I’m comparing the Belfast summer and Melburnian winter. The results for the day I finished –
After Story – (July 29): Belfast 13°-21° and Melbourne 5°-12°
Gone – (August 8): Belfast 12°-18° and Melbourne 9°-18°
Prophet Song – (August 4): Belfast 13°-19° and Melbourne 2°-15°
As it happens, I have listened to the first and third of these this year And not reviewed either, which, sadly, means I have not retained a lot. I agree with you about Prophet Song, what it describes is happening now.
And whatever I thought about the discussion of writers After Story, it didn’t feel like info dumping. I thought it was well-done.
The ‘info-dumping’ bit referred to Della’s regurgitation of historical info related to particular writers – I enjoyed it, but equally, it was nothing that I couldn’t have read on wiki. I was so impressed by how intricate the narrative for After Story was and yet, it was ‘easy’ reading. I hope the skill in that is acknowledged. I also think listening to this added to the experience – the different narrators for Della and Jazzy were excellent.
I’ve read both After Story and Prophet Song and was impressed by both. (I think Behrendt has another book coming out this year? I hope so.)
That’s a lovely piece of music you’ve shared with us, thank you:)
I love how connected she is with the violin. I don’t want to reveal spoilers but when I saw that clip, knowing all that had happened, I cried (be aware that my tears operate on a hair trigger – might seem odd given my line of work but I spend a lot of energy containing emotion in an appropriate way, and as a result, when I don’t have to, it spills!).
I hope Behrendt has another book coming. I can’t quite believe that this didn’t get more attention when it was published.
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Such an odd criticism to make of Prophet Song. For me, the point was that Lynch’s tyrannical regime is all too familiar from other parts of the world – Syria came to mind whan I was reading it – reminding those of us fortunate enough to live in liberal societies that our own countries are not invulnerable.
Agree – I was surprised by the number of readers (on Goodreads) who picked on this. When I began reading, I didn’t know it was dystopian (and I think I assumed it was set in Belfast?), so automatically read through the lens of ‘The Troubles’, which is interesting in itself!
I hadn’t heard about that particular line of criticism about Prophet Song but I have to wonder at the people who took that stance. Ok things in Northern Ireland are not as horrendous as they were during the Troubles but it’s far from being a stable part of the world as the events of recent days have shown.
When I look at reviews on Goodreads, I always look at what the people who gave it five-stars said, and the same for those who gave it one-star. The criticism for this book was surprising to me as well.
The story of the stolen violin reminds me of the novel The Violin Conspiracy by Bernard (?) Slocumb. Now I’ll have to go back and see if there’s any indication that the novel came about because of Kym’s stolen Strad. And both After Story and Prophet Song are heading straight to my TBR list.
I’ll have to track down The Violin Conspiracy!
How interesting, to compare the temperatures during your reading challenge this summer/winter! And what a great assortment of books.
I started doing it years ago because everyone was talking ‘beach reads’ and I was shivering in Melbourne. As it turns out, there’s often not much difference between a Belfast summer day and a Melbourne winter day!
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