Here’s my top reading recommendations for a trip to Australia!
1. Picnic at Hanging Rock by Joan Lindsay
A bunch of girls from a stuck-up boarding school plan a picnic to Hanging Rock on Valentine’s day. During the picnic, four girls and a teacher decide to climb the monolithic rock that gives the picnic spot its name. Only one girl returns with no memory of what happened. What happened to those girls? The oppression of the school boundaries, the headmistress’s rules, the heat of the Australian summer – all this adds to the mood of the novel making it a riveting read. In the original publication, the last chapter which solved the mystery was withheld from the readers to create buzz and add to the discussion. Sort of 20th century viral marketing?’
2. The Harp in the South Trilogy by Ruth Park
I have read the first two and loved them. Most definitely not easy reads, but provided an interesting insight into the working class of Sydney that made up the city at the turn of the 20th century. While the location be a continent far off, the daily reality of poor people are universal themes – devastating poverty, unemployment, alcohol abuse, untimely deaths and so on. But no, this series is not about despair but instead its about survival, coping and hope. As per Amazon summary:
‘The Harp in the South Trilogy follows the trials and tribulations of the Darcy family over thirty years, from country New South Wales in the 1920s to the inner-city slums of Surry Hills in the 1950s. The beating heart of this exuberant play is its carousel of characters. From hard-boozing Hugh Darcy and his long-suffering ‘Missus’ Margaret, to their children, sensitive and romantic Roie, smart and sassy Dolour, and poor little Thady who ran out onto the overcrowded road and has been trying to find his way home ever since. Along the way there’s the Chinese greengrocer Lick Jimmy, who tempts Dolour with his ‘poor man’s oranges’, no-nonsense brothel madam Delie Stock, who tempts everyone with her girls, and handsome young Charlie Rothe, who tempts Roie with the promise of a better life. ‘
While I have read other Australian writers, such as Nick Earls’ What Shades of Brown, the above too feel essential to the understanding of what makes this country unique.
Back to Around the World recommendations.
