Heart of the
Grass Tree
by Molly Murn
A Vintage Australia book published by
Penguin Random House
ISBN 9780143792499
$32.99
Molly Murn has written her debut novel
about South Australia and for South
Australians. She has given us an intimate
portrait of Kangaroo Island’s history and
geography through the lives and reflections
of several generations. In this fiction laced
with fact, flashes of recognition enhance
our enjoyment from a story brimming with
all of the nuance and complexities of the
human condition. Above all, this is a novel
about relationships; those between mothers
and daughters, Europeans and Aboriginal
people, the human and natural worlds and
the ‘water between them all’.
Pearl and Diana return to the Island for the
funeral of their grandmother and mother,
Nell. Divergent personalities and events
have estranged them. Their unhappiness, in
themselves and with one another, extends
beyond Nell’s death. Sifting through Nell’s
belongings, rediscovering familiar spaces
and splicing tendrils of shared history, they
begin to find their places in the world and
themselves.
Grass trees are endemic to Australia, an
iconic image for our country. Hardy and
resilient, they may live for hundreds of years,
able to respond to the trauma of fire by
flowering profusely and germinating. These
plants are highly valued by a wide range
of birds, insects and mammals and by the
indigenous community for their many uses,
including the resin able to be collected from
around their leaves. Numbers have suffered
through the destructive collection of resin on
an industrial scale subsequent to European
settlement. They continue to do so with
continuing land clearing and theft. The
grass tree serves as a powerful symbol for
Australia’s environment and history, and for
the richly captivating narrative of this book.French Exit
by Patrick deWittPublished by Bloomsbury
ISBN 9781526601186
$29.99
Described by its author as ‘a tragedy of
manners,’ French Exit is difficult to classify.
Perhaps an acerbic, dark farce goes some
of the way towards describing it, although
whether classification is helpful for a novel
brimming with such originality and wit is
debatable. The book is very much of itself,
occupying a space in present day New York
and Paris which draws from the mannered
comedies of earlier times, intersects with
Victorian gothic sensibilities and collides
with casual modernity.
Patrick deWitt’s fourth novel is filled with
caustic dialogue, acute observation, witty
aphorisms and surprises. Perhaps others
will recognise the familiarity of ‘mimicking
the behaviours of the adults all around you
in the hopes they won’t discover the meagre
contents of your heart.’
Heading the collection of wonderfully
drawn eccentric characters is Frances, a
wealthy widow in her sixties, the subject of
a scandalous past and harbouring nihilistictendencies who expresses herself with
the unfiltered directness available to those
who are rich and beautiful. Her only son,
Malcolm, lives with her, approaching middle
age in a comprehending state of suspended
development. Rounding out the household
is Small Frank, their cat who is host to
the spirit of Frances’ husband, a lawyer
remembered for his complete immorality
and tabloid-worthy death.
The book narrates their escape, spilling the
last of a considerable fortune in a quest for
liberation in various forms. It tells a story
veering between an unconquerable past
and an incontrovertible present.
Unsettling and un-put-downable, it is a
worthy addition to the works of this
Man Booker shortlisted and highly
commended author.