BOOKS: TRAVELLER AT THE GATES 1(|9+5&1/
A TRAVELLER AT THE GATES OF WISDOM By John Boyne
Boyne is one of the most versatile writers at work today. He’s equally adept at novels pitched to adults and teens, and also across a variety of genres: historical fiction, very grim subject matter, humour, and even a crime novel worthy of Patricia Highsmith. So it’s not entirely surprising that this new novel is something different again and perhaps his most ambitious work to date.
It’s a time travelling saga that ranges from Palestine in AD 1 to a colony in outer space in 2080. Each chapter skips ahead roughly 50 years and is set in a different city around the world but the narrative is basically continuous and the main characters are largely the same, although their names change slightly in each chapter. Once you’ve grasped what Boyne is doing it’s very easy to follow.
Boyne’s last few books have all had prominent LGBT storylines but here the main character is heterosexual; an artist and not the warrior his father would prefer. There are a number of secondary characters who are gay or lesbian, notably his disabled half-brother who he falls out with and seeks revenge upon.
This quest for revenge drives the narrative but there are numerous distractions. Along the way he encounters some famous figures including Macbeth and his wife, Michelangelo, Abel Tasman, Ned Kelly and several others.
These cameos are diverting but it’s the fictional characters who excite the imagination more – from the malodorous wife of his brother to the elderly blind woman who pops up across the centuries, guiding him towards his destiny.
The book reflects the times it depicts and is often very violent; decapitation, or the fear of it, is present in almost every chapter. This is rich and imaginative storytelling that takes Boyne’s skills as a historical novelist in a very dynamic and exciting direction. – Graeme
BROKEN JADE By Paul Chan
Books by Asian gay men are rare in Australia so it’s exciting when a new one arrives. This is the story of a mother and her gay son navigating their different understandings of Asian identity, family, and sexuality.
Madeline Wong is the epitome of the Chinese-Malaysian rags-to-riches tale. Raised in poverty, she has evolved into a selfmade woman with her Imelda Marcos-style of “dramatic make-up, helmet-like hairdo and exquisitely tailored cheongsams and kebayas”. Equally, she will do everything to “save her family’s face” from shame. When her youngest son, Justin, comes out, Madeline swears to turn him straight. This urgent mission leads her to an awkward encounter with Justin’s white boyfriend, Robbie, and an ironic-yet-funny religious conversion therapy service in Sydney.
Meanwhile, Justin struggles as a gay Asian man living in a predominantly white society, navigating his sexuality and the many ways his racial identity generates self-insecurity and a sense of displacement.
Fast-paced, the narrative style keeps readers hooked, although a little more depth to the key characters’ interior lives may have made the plot more contextual. For instance, Madeline’s minority status as a Chinese-Malaysian might have been shown as shaping her obsession with protecting her family’s reputation. Justin’s ambition and work ethic could serve as a window into a gay Asian man’s coping strategy with his double minority status.
Despite this, the novel dismantles the persisting stereotype that Asian society is intrinsically conservative. Timely and entertaining, Broken Jade is a gift for Asian gay men looking for genuine stories about their lives. – Hendri
SHUGGIE BAIN By Douglas Stuart
In 1980s Glasgow, Agnes Bain and her youngest son, Hugh “Shuggie” Bain, struggle during the economic downturn of Margaret Thatcher’s Britain. With crushed dreams and betrayals by her husband and lovers, Agnes has become unrepentantly reliant on extra-strong lager to help bear the pain of her perceived failures. While she loves all her children, it’s Shuggie who promises to stay with her after his siblings have all left.
Against this grim landscape, Shuggie learns to survive alone and grapple with the dark side of the city, which brims with sexual harassment and violence. He’s bullied by other children because of his “abnormally soft” demeanour.
Stuart is a masterful storyteller who elegantly blends astute observation, realistic characters, and visceral prose, making this realist novel more than just a social commentary about addiction, despair and economic precarity. It’s also an invitation for a closer examination of both hope and hopelessness experienced by people trapped in debilitating circumstances.
Despite the despair, Agnes and Shuggie attempt to dance together at home, imagining a better future and unexpressed happiness.
Some readers will find the Scottish vernacular challenging, but the troubling-yettender relationship between Agnes and Shuggie will leave an emotional imprint.
Here is a novel with the same intensity as Hanya Yanagihara’s masterful A Little Life in 2015. It has been longlisted for the 2020 Booker
Prize. – Hendri
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