The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree by Shokoofeh Azar

The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree has been attracting my attention for several months now, however it took its recent longlisting for this year's Stella Prize to finally make me pick it up. I'm nothing but a Stella groupie!

The cover alone might have been enticement enough (a collage of three of Azar's art works), but the promise of a mystical, magical tour through the horrors of revolutionary Iran, 'using the lyrical magic realism style of classical Persian storytelling', was the final prompt I needed to make this my first book to read from this year's prize.

Magical realism can be a problem for many readers I know. I'm happy to embrace some forms of magic realism more than others. I especially like those that draw fairy tales, fables and myths into our modern real-world setting. (FYI: I'm not so keen on the type of magic realism that brings in a lot of deliberately disorientating layers and details. I like my magical realism to still make sense somehow!)

Azar's use of magic realism did that and more. It's quite a skill to weave a story that allows your somewhat sceptical reader to accept the existence of ghosts, jinns and mermaids. But Azar did it for me - I was with her from the start, on that level at least.

However, it did take me a while to get going. It may have been a translation thing or it may have been a slightly different approach to sentence structure. Many of the books I gravitate towards lately are ones with concise, short sentences. So maybe it was simply my lack of practice in reading longer, flowing, complex sentences. Whatever it was, I found the start of The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree choppy and erratic.

It wasn't until the special circumstances of our narrator were revealed at the beginning of chapter 5 that I was hooked. Suddenly the 'playful, poetic and deeply melancholy' Alice Pung quote on the back cover came to life.

I dropped into a dreamy, almost trance-like state every time I picked up the book. Jinns and groves of trees haunted my own dreams as fleeting childhood memories of news items about the 1979 Revolution were triggered by events in the story. It was angry, it was heart-rending, it was glorious, mesmerising and confronting.

Azar has given us a classic story of good and evil. Her words are fluid as is her approach to time and truth. Belonging, love and loss are the major themes while the search for solace is the main concern for her characters. Given the horrific events that occurred during the Iranian Revolution, it is easy to understand why and how an author would choose to wrap these unreal events up in mythology. When the real world you live in suddenly gets turned on it's head, sometimes the only response is imagination and the only hope is magic.

I, for one, hope with all my heart, that this story gets shortlisted for the Stella - it deserves to get as much attention as possible.

Translated from Farsi by Adrien Kijek#AustWomenWriters
#Stella2018

I'll Take You There by Wally Lamb

I seriously hope there are some Wally Lamb fans out there who can tell me what all the fuss is about or at least that I'll Take You There is simply not an example of his best work.

I acknowledge that I am jet-lagged after our big trip away and now a yucky summer head cold has caught up with me too. My ability to concentrate is severely impaired, which is why I had to put down Herodotus' The Histories for a bit.

I'll Take You There seemed light enough and interesting enough for my tired brain to cope with. A bit of a ghost story with a bit of time travel sounded fun. A family drama with secrets, revelations and personal insights sounded just right.

However, no matter how hard I tried, this just ended up feeling like a baby boomer's nostalgic trip down memory lane. The ghost story felt contrived. I couldn't see the point in the time travel aspect of the story. All the characters tried too hard to be smart, sassy and hip.

My care factor plummeted by about chapter five and never really revived as a skimmed through the rest. I wanted to find out what Lamb's answers were to 'life's biggest questions' as the New York Times quote on the back jacket promised.

I didn't have a problem with his final response as such, but it was nothing new or startling or thought provoking.

What did I miss?

This was my first Wally Lamb, and at this point, my last, unless someone can convince me otherwise.

Springtime: A Ghost Story by Michelle de Kretser

This slim, stylish short story has got under my skin.

I wasn't really expecting it to - before, during or immediately after reading it. But somehow, two days later, Springtime has subtly tiptoed into my imagination and opened up a whole host of possibilities.

The power of de Krestser's story is in her descriptions and in the very looseness of form that she plays with.

The images are vivid and the form is ripe for individual interpretation.

At a dinner party, halfway through the book, our protagonist, Frances, and the host, Joseph, discuss the nature of ghost stories with the other guests.

The ghost story discussion goes like this,

'Do you know this idea that electricity put an end to ghost stories? People stopped seeing ghosts when rooms were properly lit.'

George Meshaw said he didn't think it was the change of lighting. 'The way stories were written changed around that time. Ghost stories work up to a shock, but the modern form of the short story is different. When a loose, open kind of story came in, writing about ghosts went out.'

We know what to expect.

De Kretser tells us on the front cover that this is going to be a ghost story. Therefore when Frances sees a shadowy figure in a pink dress, that no-one else can see, whilst Frances is out walking along the Cooks River in Marrickville, with her rather nervous dog, we're not surprised.

The surprise comes from the lush, steamy, wet weather of a Sydney summer through the eyes of a Melbournite. The disquiet comes from Frances' relationship with her new partner - an older, recently divorced man. The anxiety creeps in as we learn about her childhood dreams and meet the knowing young son of her partner. Who is haunting who?

And what form does the haunting take?

Is Frances haunted by unmet ambitions and desires? Troubled by cold hard reality? Preyed upon by other peoples histories and memories? Consumed by strange smells, colours and textures? Swamped by the consequences of her unwise choices?

What is very clear is that Frances is not comfortable in her skin or in her new life. She doesn't belong.

Springtime is only a short story, but de Kretser has actually packed a lot in, when you take the time to unpack it.

My lovely gift hardback edition has several coloured plates from artist Torkil Gudnason. His elegant floral designs also grace the covers.

This book is my one and only feeble attempt to join in R.eaders I.mbibing P.eril this year.

Peril of the Short Story allows me to fit in one quick, easy scary book and still feel like I've participated in something fun! You have until the 31st October, if you'd like to join in too.

The Frangipani Hotel by Violet Kupersmith

The Frangipani Hotel is a collection of contemporary short stories predominantly set in Vietnam - which made for the perfect holiday read whilst travelling through said Vietnam.

The stories featured Saigon, Hanoi, the Mekong, the USA and a convent. The cast of characters included refugees, nuns, siblings, ex-pats, soldiers and ghosts.
Plenty of ghosts in fact, as well as haunts, the walking dead and even a were-snake!

Some of the ghosts were friendly & protective whilst some lured people to their deaths. Others tried to steal your soul or mess with your head. Some were lost, wandering the heavens & earth looking for somewhere to belong.

The ghosts reflected our own inner demons and insecurities - they highlighted the pasts that haunt us all.

All the short stories were extremely diverse, very enjoyable & a pleasure to read. Kupersmith has a lovely light touch that hides a surprising depth and complexity. The creepy edges to her stories leave you with a little tingle of horror.

Family, connections and belonging are common themes throughout, as is the act of storytelling.
Kupersmith uses storytelling within the stories to reveal truths, histories & traditions. They also hide secrets & disguise what really happened.

Highly recommended not just for travelers to Vietnam, but for all lovers of beautifully told short stories.