Turning to The Railwayman’s Wife, we noted that the book is set in Thirroul on the central coast of New South Wales, north of Wollongong, which is famous for being the setting for DH Lawrence’s novel, Kangaroo (1923), as well as being the place where the author, Ashley Hay, grew up. (However, one member who had read Kangaroo did not believe it was one of Lawrence’s best and did not recommend it be added to the book list.)
The Railwayman’s Wife is set in the aftermath of World War II and was felt by some to be slow to get under way.
However, essentially, the plot revolves around the female character, Annika, who is tied up with grief and the new realities of her life and daughter’s once her beloved husband, Mac, is killed in a railway accident. She remains completely unaware of others’ developing feelings for her, with tragic results.
It was felt the author may have overdone the poetical lyricism at times although the descriptions of Thirroul - the landscape, the light and details of nature - are often beautiful and evocative.
One member rated the book as one of her personal top ten and loved the different ending. She felt that Ashley Hay must have experienced the death of someone close in her life because the details of Annika’s pain and attempts to remember and preserve Mac’s place in her life (however delusionary) were so true to life.
The book won the Colin Roderick Prize 2014 awarded by the Foundation for Australian Literary Studies, and the People’s Choice Award in the NSW Premier's Prize. It was long listed for the Miles Franklin Literary Award. Ashley Hay, who now lives in Brisbane, has just published a new novel, A Hundred Small Lessons.
Happy reading!
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In the same way, we hope you will take away from our reviews some pearlers to share with your regular club.
