What I am reading: ‘Hiam’ by Eva Sallis
‘Hiam’, a novel by South Australian writer Eva Sallis, is an unusual novel.
My immediate reaction is that it is more lyrical than prosaic. The poetic devices used by Sallis dominate the narrative. Many passage could be quoted to back up this opinion. The story telling elements near the end of the novel are pure poetry, particularly the gazelle story.
I was in awe as I read the many beautiful passages in the writing. Sentences like this one are most memorable: The Aunties are all creeping on tiptoe around their hearts. Other images are simply haunting. The road was the protagonist’s straitjacket, the car her prison, or her skull; herself the thread of life.
Initially I felt great anticipation as I read of the place names in the early pages. They were all recognisable places here in South Australia giving me an instant identification with the story. Not too far on, however, the novelist took me as the reader into a strange and very unfamiliar world. The psychotic world of a very confused and hurting main character is very disturbing. I couldn’t put my finger on the cause of this disturbance in my reaction until late in the novel when the main character Hiam plainly states that her husband had killed himself. All the evidence was there from the beginning, of course – I had merely not fully understood.
Hiam’s sense of isolation in Australia is clearly drawn by the author throughout the novel. This was her first encounter with rural and inland Australia. Everything seemed strange to her and she encounters many things which are alien to her from her cultural understandings. There are some constant elements in Hiam’s journey of discovery. Thoughts, memories and dreams of her husband, her daughter and her religion help her through her desolation.
Reference:
- Hiam by Eva Sallis, published by Allen and Unwin, Sydney, 1998. It was the winner of the Australian/Vogel Literary Award.
An endless fascination with people
“An endless fascination for others is a prerequisite to being a novelist – despite the common view of novelists as egocentric and self-absorbed. The self-absorption comes when you are at your desk writing. The rest of the time, you need to be pathologically curious.” from A Novel in a Year by Louise Doughty.
I like that.
“Pathologically curious” about people. A novel needs to be occupied by people. Sometimes lots of them. You can’t write about people unless you know about people. Unless you have a curiosity about people you will struggle to portray people effectively in your novel.
Take some time out to visit the local shopping centre, coffee shop or any place where people congregate. Observe the people you see. Take a notebook with you and write down some descriptions of people. Write a sentence or two about a dozen or more people you see. Who are they? Where did they come from? What are they doing here? What hardships have they endured? Why is that person bright, happy and bubbly? Why is that mother frustrated with her child? What events have impacted upon that stooped old man hobbling along the path? Why is that young man walking with such an aura of confidence?
Give the people you see a story. It may be far removed from reality but that is the power of imagination. Use these story outlines as the basis for characters in your novel. If you can’t fit them in, or they are just plain wrong for your plot, don’t despair. They could well be used in a short story, or even a poem. Never throw away any draft writing; you never know when it can be used.
Good writing.
Further reading:
I can write a book like that
Ever read a book, get to the end, throw the book down and say to whoever is within earshot, “I could write a book like that”?
I have, many times. And I guess many people reading this have said the same thing. Good authors make writing seem easy. There’s the secret. Good writing seems easy but is very hard to do. That is why so many people say they could write a book but so few actually start. Of those that start, very few actually finish. Of those that finish, even fewer edit and rewrite their book to publishable standard. Even fewer send the manuscript off to publishers and of those that do get to that stage, few are published.
It certainly takes a great deal of commitment, effort and discipline to get to the point where a manuscript can be sent to a publisher. I should know; I’ve written three novels for children. So far I have been unable to find a publisher; any keen publishers out there looking for new talent? Use my contact form.
So if you’ve ever said that you could write a book, whether that be a novel, a volume of poetry, a non-fiction book about your hobby or whatever, what is stopping you?
If the task seems daunting, break it into smaller chunks. Can you write 500 words a day? (This article is about 350 words long and it took me just over half an hour to write.) At 500 words per day – say, an hour per of writing per day, you could have a 250 page, 100,000 word novel written in about 200 days, or six to seven months.
Even the longest journey is completed one step at a time, and the longest novel is written one word at a time. Take it step by step. You can do it.
Good writing.
Further reading:
Writing history as fiction
A few weeks ago I wrote about the family reunion we recently attended.
I made the following observation:
With the launch of the family history book, the bare bones of the history and heritage of my family has been well documented. I enjoy reading historical accounts but this book could only tell part of the story. During our celebrations last weekend I couldn’t help but think that the story of my family’s epic struggle for survival would make a wonderful novel or series of novels – even a film.
Turning history facts into fiction has some advantages and some pitfalls as well.
One of the advantages is that you basically have the plot line already. In many cases historical accounts are full of drama and lend themselves to retelling in fascinating ways that only a novel can achieve. It may well bring the story to life with real characters, real events and a totally believable story line.
One of the dangers, however, is that the facts may need to become blurred at the edges in order for the story to remain interesting. This may upset the historical purists, especially where family is concerned. It may be expedient to tamper with the truth for the story to remain consistent, or for the plot to be believable.
Novels and films that are “based on a true story†often raise more questions than they answer, but that sounds like the start of another article.
Good writing.