by David Malouf
(chosen by Gypsy)
Gypsy was still carrying the scars from her previous choice of Twilight, and was determined to find the 'perfect' book this year. She read many, many options over several months. She thought long and hard about it. And she still couldn't make a decision. Then, while perusing the reviews on Kimbofo's Reading Matters blog, she came across a review of Fly Away Peter. It was 144 pages long (which met our small books challenge) and had been rated 5 stars. She decided to take a chance on it.
About the author:
David Malouf is an internationally acclaimed author of many prize-wining and short-listed novels including The Great World, Remembering Babylon , An Imaginary Life, Conversations at Curlow Creek, Dream Stuff , Every Move You Make, and his autobiographical work12 Edmondstone Street. Fly Away Peter was published in 1982 and is often studied in Australian schools. Malouf was born in 1934 and was brought up in Brisbane.
(general biographical detail from the publisher's website)
What the publisher says about the book:
For three very different people brought together by their love for birds, life on the Queensland coast in 1914 is the timeless and idyllic world of sandpipers, ibises and kingfishers. In another hemisphere civilization rushes headlong into a brutal conflict. Life there is lived from moment to moment. Inevitably, the two young men -sanctuary owner and employee - are drawn to the war, and into the mud and horror of the trenches of Armentieres. Alone on the beach, their friend Imogen, the middle-aged wildlife photographer, must acknowledge for all three of them that the past cannot be held.
What we discussed about the book:
- Is this a novel which explores big ideas rather than a simple story? Life and death, war and peace, poverty and wealth, bravery and cowardice, innocence and evil.
- The birds. What was their purpose in the story? How did the migratory patterns of birds relate to the story of the characters. How did the birds represent other concepts - e.g. freedom. What role did the birds play while the action was set in France?
- What did it foreshadow when a bird turned up in the wrong place?
- How was so much story told in so few words/pages? What devices did Malouf use to achieve that?
- "An old girl, he guessed, of more than fifty." How has life changed, that 'more than fifty' is no longer considered 'an old girl.'?
- The concept of Ashley Crowther being a 'serious person'. Do such people still exist? What role did they play in society in that time?
- In what ways is the essence of the Australian landscape communicated? Is it through subtle clues? Would the reading of it differ if we were not Australian?
- The use of earth/sky imagery - the first half of the book focusing upwards, and the second part underground.
- The scenes with Eric, the orphan. Why were we so moved by them?
- Why did Clancy's death affect us so strongly?
- In what ways was the machinery of war conveyed? Were the soldiers expendable cogs in a giant mechanism?
- The balance of the war scenes - horror and humour, loneliness and mateship, sanctuary and violence. How did Malouf create this sense of yin/yang?
- What role does humour play in creating a release for the horror?
- Was the death scene all a hallucination? What parts were real? Does it matter to be able to distinguish?
- What is the meaning of the title?
- What role does Imogen play? How does she reconcile the past, present and future?
- Why surfing? Is it that it represents that balance point between air and earth?
- Were we satisfied with the ending?
And then we were sidetracked into:
- The Northern Wheatear - a fascinating tiny migratory bird!
- Why do we connect so strongly with some books, but not with others? What determines each experience?
- Is the world fundamentally bad?
- How did people survive mentally after seeing what they did during wars?
- Do we look after returned soldiers nowadays?
- The G.K Chesterton quote at the beginning of the book. Refer back to our favourite quotes from The Happiness Project and one of them was a Chesterton quote as well. Coincidence?
- Would we have liked to study this as a school text? Would deconstructing it and analysing it, and having to write essays have dampened our enthusiasm for this novel?
- In what ways did this book remind us of Tim Winton's writing?
In other news we discussed:
- How you have to watch out for the size of books when ordering on-line - some of the cheaper options for a title turn up and they're like mini-pocket book versions with tiny font!
- Hair washing, dry shampoos, frequency of washing, length of time a blow dry can last. Oh, we're high brow, people.
- Should only the Mum in a household have a say in whether or not a family gets a dog, as they are the ones who end up doing everything for it?
Ratings:
Range: 7.25 to 9.75
Average: 8.66
Next book: The Picture of Dorian Grey by Oscar Wilde (chosen by LC)
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