Every now and then a book comes along that’s
brilliantly conceived and tightly written and yet there’s nothing flashy about
it at all. I think Australian writer Toni Jordan’s third novel, Nine Days (Text, $37) falls into that
rare and wonderful category.
Its story was inspired by a wartime newspaper
photograph that Jordan kept pinned above her desk until eventually the
characters came to her. The picture, used on the cover of the book, was taken
on a crowded platform at Melbourne railway station and shows a young woman
hoisted up on peoples’ shoulders so she can kiss her soldier sweetheart
goodbye.
The plot Jordan constructs around this image
tells the story of three generations of a working class family from a Melbourne
suburb. She structures it by taking nine separate people and writing of one
significant day in each of their lives – hence the title.
Nine
Days opens in 1939 with Australia on the verge of
war and young Kip Westaway forced to leave school to help support the family
following the death of his drunken father in a tram accident. Cheeky and full
of vim despite his situation, it is this likeable character that remains at the
heart of the book.
The novel reaches the present day but the
chapters skip backwards and forwards between the generations so it’s up to the
reader to an extent to piece together the story and work out the connections
between each person.
Chapter by chapter we meet Stanzi the troubled
counsellor, Charlotte the flaky yoga teacher, moody teenager Alec, lovely
Connie, sly Francis, long suffering Jean and neighbours Jack and Annabel who
are important to them in different ways. Each of the nine voices is distinct
and brimming with personality and by the finish every part of the jigsaw fits
perfectly and you see the whole sweep of this romantic, thoughtful,
heartbreaking story.
Somehow Jordan achieves the feat of being both
satirical and compassionate towards her characters. It is as if she is writing
about blood relatives she cares for despite their foibles and flaws. There is a
message here: life is fragile; those we love can be gone in an instant; hold on
tight to them while you can, she is telling us.
Jordan’s previous two novels Addition and Fall Girl were smart, sassy and humorous. Nine Days has taken her to another level. More serious than her
previous work but with the same astute observations, brightness and wit, it’s a
sensitive and beautiful novel, a slice of Australia’s working class history,
that is a joy to read.
There remains a mystery surrounding the people
in the photograph that so inspired the author. It was found in the archives of The Argus newspaper and so far the
couple haven’t been identified. While it would be interesting to discover the
truth, Jordan’s fiction feels honest and real enough to stand in its stead in
the meantime.
Footnote:
No comments:
Post a Comment