toStonewall,Texas.Itwastherethat
LBJ’smotherandauntshadspent
halftheirwakinghoursdrawingwater
fromthewellandhoickingitwith
a yokeandbucketstomeetthefamily’s
needs.Weatheredandshrunken,
oldbeforetheirtime,theydidn’t
knowhowtotalkaboutthemselves.
Inamadefigjamforthem,listened,
coaxed,encouraged.SowhenCaro
revealsthemeansbywhichLBJ
acquiresthemoneyneededtofurther
hiscareeryourealisejusthowmuchhe
learnedinchildhoodfrombattlersin
theTexasbackwoods.I don’tknowhow
Carogetsawaywithexposingthese
locked-away secrets. A ripper read.BIGSKY
KateAtkinson,Doubleday,$32.99Thejury’soutonNathan,sonof
JacksonBrodie,privateinvestigator.
I callhima brat.Othersmightsaythat
he’sata difficultageandwillbejust
fineintheend.Nathan’smother,Julia,
choosestoliveapartfromJackson.
Whenthey’retogethershe’sa ticker
tapeofput-downs.Inthisnew
enthrallingepisodeinJackson’szigzag
career,a womanemergeswhoI feel
isrightforhimandbythetimethe
novelendsherhusbandisdeadand
unlamented.Atkinson’sgiftisto
involvethereaderinthefateofevery
oneofhercharacters.Ina worldwhere
we’reallscratchingourheadsoverthe
distinctionbetweenrightandwrong
shelandsusfirmlyinthejudgment
seat.Doweforgivetheclownishsiren
whokillsa client’serranthusbandfor
cash?“Pleasuredoingbusinesswith
you...”Beyondthewarmthandthewry
humourliesthesubstanceoftheplot,
whichconcernsbringingyounggirls
toBritain,chainingthemtobeds,
druggingthemandthenloaningthem
outtoallsortsofmenfromspivsto
judges.Theshortestchapterdescribes
a rescueoperation,a younggirlin
a cellar.Shewasfound;butthere
are100smore.Newtothesagais
a boy,Harry,whoalmoststealsthe
show from Jackson. He’s had a hard lifeandbythelastpagesbothhisparents
aredead;whenJacksonnextappears
I sense that Harry will be close by.OPERATIONBABYLIFT
IanW.Shaw,HachetteAustralia,$32.99Liketheopeningofa JamesBondfilm,
Shaw’saccountofhow,inMarch1975,
600 Vietnameseorphanswere
repatriatedplungesimmediatelyinto
drama,leavingthereaderwondering
what’sgoingon.WhoisEdDaly?Who
aretheseyoungsoldiersmobbingthe
Boeing727?Wherearethebabies?
Afamilyoffivetrytoboardtheplane
andareshotandtrampled.Thedoor
jams.Thestaircasecannotbe
retracted.Fivemenclingtoit.The
planetakesoff.“TheVietnamese
begantolosetheirgripontherailings
andfelloff,onebyone...theywere
severalhundredmetresintheair
whenthelastonefell.”
Aseeminglychaoticfirstchapter
introducesustoSaigoninthelastfew
weeksbeforetheVietconginvaded.
WemeetRosemaryTaylor,formerly
a nuninAdelaide,whoforeightyears
leda majoraidteam.Thebabies,
malnourishedandalmostallsuffering
fromdysentery,weredespatchedin
cardboardboxes.Thiswastheironly
chance.Shawhaspreciouslittle
patiencewiththeembassy
administratorswhowereslowto
recognisethenecessitytoprovide
everychildwithpapersanda
prospectiveparentPDQ.
Taylorhadmanycritics.The
AustralianPrimeMinisterGough
WhitlamandtheAmericanPresident
GeraldFordwere,respectively,
reluctantandhamstrung,whichadded
tothefrustrationsoftheexperienced
Australianteamsonthegroundwho
knewthatwitheachdayofdelay,
babiesdied.Thereareonlytwo
photographsbutShaw’swordsmore
thancompensate.It’sa storywhich
willpassintothehistorycurriculum:
thepowerofa smallbandof
exceptionalindividualswhosavedthe
most vulnerable from certain death.THEELECTRICHOTEL
DominicSmith,Allen&Unwin,$32.99Footageofa 40-year-oldnude
emergingfroma bubblebathandthe
lastmomentsofhistubercularsister’s
lifewereamongtheauditionreelsthat
launchedClaudeBallardona film
career.Smith’snewnovelconjuresup
Parisin1895,whenasa cheeky
youngster,Claude(fictional)competes
tobecomeconcessionagentforthe
Lumièrebrothers(real).Thelanguid
pair,LouisandAuguste,willbe
rememberedalongsideThomasEdison
intheUSAforinventingmotion
pictures.“Edison’scrudepeepshow
device,”snortsAuguste.Claudegets
thejob.Hetravelstheworld(including
TamaramainAustralia).Hesells
showsandlicensedequipment.
TheElectricHotelishislost
masterpiece,a hugelyambitioussilent
filmstarringSabineMontrose,sheof
thebubblebath.In 1962 a keenstudent
offilmvisitsClaude,nowholedupin
Hollywood’sKnickerbockerHotel
(real),hopingtolocatefragmentsof
thelostmasterpiece(fictional)in
Claude’svinegarystorechests.Hegets
tomeetsomeoftheluminariesofsilent
film,suchasChipSpalding(fictional),
a paraplegicex-stuntmanfrom
Australia.Noluckwiththefragments.
Allgone.“Ihaven’tseena filmsince
1920,”saysBallard.Betweenthesetwo
phasesinBallard’sextraordinarylife
comesWorldWarI whenhefilms
atrocitiesinBelgium.Thereelsare
usedasevidenceinpostwartrials.
Four-hundred-and-forty-onepages
evokeaneraaltogetheratoddswiththe
presentday.We’vebecomeblaséabout
filmedreports:couldbereal,couldbe
faux,butforthosefirstaudiencesfilm
wasastounding.Wasita trickor
unassailableproof,howevercontrived?
Action.Somethinghappenedalong
thetimeline.Itcouldbeseenoverand
overagainina barnoranattic,
anywheretherewasa lightsourceand
a suspendedsheetshimmeringbefore
gogglingspectators.UnderSmith’sPHOTOGRAPHY spell the wonder returns.
NIC GOSSAGE
STYLING
LISA BURDEN
SEPTEMBER 2019COU NTRY ST Y LE 131BOOKS