Airmail

by Naomi Bulger

Reclusive old Mr. G.L. Solomon's favorite things are single malt whiskey, Steve McQueen movies, and gingersnap cookies. He hates processed cheese, washing detergent commercials, and the way the teacup rattles in the saucer when he picks it up. Solomon has become accustomed to his lonely routine in Sydney, Australia-until the day he begins sporadically receiving letters in his mailbox from a complete stranger. On the other side of the world, Anouk is a mentally delicate young woman living in New York who insists she is being stalked by a fat woman in a pink tracksuit. When Anouk declares to Solomon that she is writing "from the Other Side," the old man breaks away from his daily grind of watching soap operas and reading Fishing World and travels to New York to find her. As he is drawn into Anouk's surreal world of stalkers and storytelling, marbles and cats, purgatory and Plato, Solomon has but one goal-to unravel the mystery before it is too late. " ... A story of mismatched individuals in a world where magic touches the diurnal." -Christine Nagel Literary Services

Genres: Fiction

108 pages, Paperback

First published March 10, 2011

About the author

Naomi Bulger is an Australian journalist who moved to New York City for adventure and found love instead. She now lives in Australia with her new family.

Her debut novella Airmail hit the stores in April 2011. She is the author of non-fiction books Talk Without Being Interrupted and Seventeen Summers, and her poetry was included in the Australian Poetry Encouragement Award anthology in 2002. She has been published in several magazines in Australia and the US (including Nett, One+, Craft Arts International and Forces of Good), was the Editor of two magazines, and broadcast to more than 100 radio stations while senior journalist at Le Gras News. Naomi is also a seasoned copywriter, writing and editing content and strategy for more than 30 companies across the corporate and not-for-profit sectors.

Reviews

[Shelleyrae at Book'd Out · Rating 3 out of 5]

Airmail is an enigmatic yet engaging journey from the ordinary to the surreal.
In Sydney, Australia, Mr G L Solomon lives a life of quiet routine, sipping tea and whiskey, watching daytime television and hissing at his neighbor's cat. Yet every so often an envelope arrives in his mailbox containing a rambling letter and perhaps a trinket, from a stranger in New York. Anouk lives in a small apartment in Manhattan and writes letters to Mr G L Solomon in a desperate bid to anchor herself as she begins to quite literally 'lose her marbles'. Caught between reality and glimpses of divine interference Anouk withdraws, her letters stop and a concerned G L Solomon eschews his everyday routine to solve the mystery of his vulnerable acquaintance.
I was immediately intrigued by the protagonists of Airmail. Anouk's state of mind is shrouded in as much mystery as the identity of the woman in the pink velour tracksuit about whom she writes. Her emotional and mental vulnerability incite empathy and I thought her desperation to connect with her past a fascinating motivation for writing to Mr Solomon.
Mr Solomon's stoicism in honouring the missives he receives from a complete stranger is equally as interesting. Here is a forgotten old man who forms an ethereal connection with a young woman whom he cannot even directly contact but nevertheless he is willing to abandon his familiar life in order to rescue her. For both Anouk and GL the shift from an abstract relationship to a personal acquaintance is a catalyst for personal change and redemption.
Airmail is a quirky novella with a premise that takes a decidedly surreal turn. Bulger explores themes of communication, connection and alienation from both others and self. It has a dark tone intertwined with moments of humour and tenderness. It's not the story I was expecting when I accepted the book for review from the author, I wouldn't identify it as magical realism but something more speculative and abstract, nevertheless I found it an engaging story. Airmail is not a light novel despite being a short read at just 103 pages as the author keeps the reader off balance by softening the boundaries of reality. To be honest, I'm not sure I fully comprehended the author's message but I did find it a thought provoking tale and readers with a philosophical bent will likely find Airmail an entertaining novel.

[Mickey · Rating 1 out of 5]

it's a short little book. I read it twice, hoping to pick up what I thought I had clearly missed on the first read. After the second read, I came to the conclusion that I either am too dumb to follow the author's disjointed narrative and odd metahporical imagery or the book just didn't make any sense. I'm choosing to believe the latter.

*update 8-11-11*
I received a very nice note from the author thanking me for reading her book and for giving my honest opinion, even though she was sorry I didn't like it. I tried reading it one more time and still couldn't quite get it, but I am looking forward to seeing what Ms Bulger writes next. She DOES show promise as an author, and hopefully I'll do better with her next book!

[Ailsa · Rating 4 out of 5]

At the end of 3 weeks during which I had started and given up on several books, I picked up Airmail, which had been lurking on my bookshelf for a year or so. It was a delight - it made me smile, made my (almost) cry, made me think, made me want to go to New York... It was magical and special and I recommend it totally!

[Cindy Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is interesting- it involves fate, free will, and the stories we hold onto and let define us. I enjoyed seeing how Anouk’s letters affected G.L.’s life, upending is entire routine. He is an old man who is very set in his ways - same food, same people people, etc. Anouk is a stranger, a young woman, who has decided to share aspects of her life with someone she picked out of the phone book in her native country of Australia (she now lives in New York, and things are not going so well). This book is very philosophical in nature, so if you enjoy puzzling over existential questions and the like (which I do) then you will likely enjoy this book. The only thing that would have made this book better is illustrations; I follow Naomi on Instagram so I know she has the ability to create lovely illustrations- I wish she would have done so in this novella as well.

[Marla Sigler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Airmail drew me in from the first sentence to the last. Naomi Bulger has written a very unique story. I couldn't put this book down. G.L. Solomon came to life. I loved going on this journey.

[Cheryl Anne Gardner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Part epistolary confession, part Alice and Wonderland, part journey into madness, this quirky little book winds up being quite the philosophical handful. When I first began reading it, it reminded me of a clay animation film titled Mary and Max about an eight-year old Australian girl who randomly begins to write to an obese middle-aged man from New York with Asperger's syndrome. In Air Mail, the main character is a young woman, an ex-patriot from Australia living in New York City, randomly writing to a retired gentleman in Australia whom she chose from the phone book. Yes, seems very similar, and it is to a degree. Anouk relives all the depressing details of her life through her letters to Mr. G.L. Solomon, but when she thinks she is being stalked by a fat woman in a pink tracksuit, things take a more fantastic turn, Anouk's looking glass being the marbles that hold the stories of her life, stories that are being manipulated in a much larger universal game in which pink tracksuit is only one of many storytellers who may or may not be what they seem reminiscent of the angels in A Life Less Ordinary.

Anouk is a psychologically fragile young woman, and she finds solace in her unsolicited scribbling to Solomon. Her writing style is much the same as we often see in psychiatric patients. Solomon is intrigued, but generally unmoved by the letters and gifts until he receives the marbles. Routine is all Solomon knows, and he is comfortable with the way the twilight of his life is playing itself out, until one day Anouk writes him from the "other side," proclaiming that she is dead. This is the trigger, and promptly Solomon buys a plane ticket to NY and leaves his entire life behind. He believes Anouk is in trouble, and he believes he can help her. He can, but not in any traditional sense of the word help.

The story is very well written, full of the fantastical, the surreal, and the philosophical themes I love so much in this sort of story, yet it still stays grounded in the realities of mental illness without being overbearing about the subject matter. Anouk could be suffering from schizophrenia or any number of psychological issues, and Solomon clearly has a severe case of OCD. Or do they? Maybe their souls are simply on a journey. We can ask, do marbles hold the stories of our lives to be played and manipulated by a bunch of intellectual hippy-angel storytellers? Who knows. This sort of story is left to reader interpretation, as it should be. The characters were well developed, and the letters, sometimes frightening, were never overly sentimental. The "yes" letter being the most disturbing and the most telling in the entire book.

The book has been called charming, funny, quirky, profound, and yes, it is all those things. It is also very dark and insightful and compelling. I have to say, this is one of the better books I have read all year. Easily done in one sitting, but a much better read if taken slowly. As for presentation, the cover is lovely and the interior formatting is pleasing to the eye. Very well done. You know that old philosophical saying: A life unexamined; well, here is a perfect example of the miraculous things that can happen when a life is.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd actually give this 3.5 stars, but since I can't, I debated between the two and decided to go with the lower score only because of the way the novel moved.

This is a rather interesting book, accurately described in the summary, and quickly read in a few hours. For me, I found charm in the character of G.___L.___. An older gentleman set in his ways and his routines, randomly selected by Anouk for her to pour out her innermost thoughts. I think that alone is a rather interesting idea and one that really left me thinking. Some questions are posed about life and the meaning of, and some profound what ifs are thrown out there. There’s not a lot of magic in this book, but there is just enough to bring the story line together and to make it work. It’s funny and charming and profound. There is a dark undertone to this book that had me holding my breath thinking “oh no!” All in all, I found several things to like about this book and in the end, a few days later, I find that I’m still thinking about it.

What I liked: I loved how Ms. Bulger made us feel her characters, in particular the character of the older gentlemen. Elderly tend to get wrapped up in their routines and Ms. Bulger described it perfectly in this book and when he went on his plane trip to America, you could literally feel his adventure happening. Not to be outdone, there’s another section where Anouk is telling her feelings of being a jilted lover and the pain. It was so well written and every person who has ever gone through any sort of break up, will feel Anouk’s anguish.

What I disliked: In the middle of the book, the story dragged just a tad. I started to find myself uninterested and I was toying with the thought of setting the book down and not finishing it. I’m glad I stuck with it.

[Conan Tigard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Air Mail is an interesting story about two people. G.L. Solomon is a old man living by himself in Australia and Anouk is a woman living in New York City. Their lives somehow intertwine, but they never truly meet. He becomes involved in her life, but is she truly alive, claiming to be writing "from the Other Side?"

I quite enjoyed the book, mostly. I really liked G.L. Solomon, but wanted to know more about him. As for Anouk, you really do not get to know her very well. You find out about her through her letters that she sends to G.L. Solomon and via her marble memories, which I found to be kind of weird. How do you put a memory in a marble? Personally, I didn't like the marble memories thing one bit. It really seems to be the only bit of magic in the story, and to me it didn't fit with the rest of the story. Maybe I missed something?

One thing I did love was the cover artwork for the book. Using an actual letter from Anouk to G.L. Solomon is genius.

Naomi Bulger weaves an intriguing tale in this amusing story about a man who travels to New York to search for a woman he wants to help, but seems to get distracted with other things. I find it strange that he traveled halfway around the world to do something, but never really seems to get to it. Still, the story is a fun read and was entertaining.

Overall, Air Mail to a good story that I did like, but didn't love. I was really enjoying the story until the whole marble memory thing. Like I said before, I didn't think it fit with the rest of the story. At that point, I became a little disappointed with the direction of the story. Still, I did enjoy it, to a certain degree.

I rated this book a 7 out of 10.

[Lauren Keegan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review was first posted @ The Australian Bookshelf

Airmail is really a novella not a novel as it is a nice quick read at just over 100 pages in length.

Airmail is a quirky and witty novella which introduces us to two unique characters; Mr G.L. Solomon an old bloke from Sydney and Anouk, a young woman in New York City. Mr Solomon lives a life of rigid routines right down to what time he checks the letterbox each day. Anouk is a neurotic and
entertaining character who is trying to make meaning of her life, so she starts sending letters to a stranger she randomly chooses in the white pages- Mr G.L. Solomon. Anouk is convinced she is being stalked by a woman in a pink velour tracksuit and develops a paranoia which is really quite comical. As the letters continue, Solomon’s rigid life becomes malleable and his personality begins to shine through whilst Anouk is falling apart. She is haunted by the losses and grief of her past and she is unable to move forward with this detached part of herself. Through a one-sided relationship, their connection brings new meaning to their lives.

I had no idea where the story was going, but I think that is all part of the fun. The author has created very likeable characters who grow and learn despite the length and will leave you quite satisfied. If you would like a quick quirky read, then Airmail by Australian author Naomi Bulger, is an entertaining read.

4/5 rating

*I was provided a review copy of this book by the author.

[Caitlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Airmail is a novella and it is delightful. I often take books of this size with me to the laundromat because they're the perfect length - long enough to keep me occupied through the laundry, but not so long that they're hard to juggle or difficult to pick up again after all the interruptions.

Ms. Bulger has written an eccentric and beautiful story of loneliness and connection. Some may find it slightly surreal, except it's not - not when you've been paying close attention to the world around you. The fragile connection that exists between Mr. G.L. Solomon and Anouk solidifies into something that changes both of their lives.

The central message here is the importance of story and perhaps that's what I liked most. I think the thing that differentiates us from other species is that we tell stories and through stories we shape our lives and our world. We tell them in countless ways and not telling them, at least to ourselves, can be deadening. Life becomes lonely, gray, and mired in sameness if we stop finding a way to tell ourselves out of those cold places. We're all in a story, and in each other's story and this oldest of human habits sustains. A lovely read - highly recommended. Many thanks to Ms. Bulger for sending it to me.

[Henry Roth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is thoroughly entertaining, and I read it in one sitting. It is fast-paced but tender and often humorous, yet darker tones also show through and make it quite compelling. The book seamlessly weaves magic into reality, and vice versa, until it becomes hard to tell which is which.

It follows the lives of two very different people. First, there is a reclusive elderly man in Australia who lives his life by routine (he compares himself to TS Eliot's J Alfred Prufrock). He only gets out once a fortnight, on pension night, to socialise with other old men in Sydney's second little Italy, Stanley Street. Then there is the passionate and beautiful Anouk, a young woman living in New York, who carries a secret past and believes that she is being stalked all over Manhattan by a short, fat woman wearing a pink tracksuit.

Their lives intersect first through letters, as the book's title suggests, but in time the old man, too, is drawn into Anouk's surreal and mysterious New York world. I won't give away what happens next, but I will offer a clue: this book is all about storytelling. The appeal of storytelling, the magic of storytelling, and the very real power of storytelling. Airmail is beautiful, funny, clever and plain good fun. Highly recommended.

[Vivian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Anouk is currently living in New York City and writes letters about her life, sent via airmail, to a complete stranger in Australia. Mr. G.L. Solomon is that stranger. He's an elderly retiree and his life is centered around highly structured albeit empty days. This life of his is given a lift when he starts receiving letters from this strange woman in New York City. His life takes an unexpected turn when he the letters begin to state that they are being written from the "other side."

There's a bit of quirkiness and the strange woven into this tale that borders on paranormal or fantasy without quite taking the step fully into either of those genres. Ms. Bulger presents us with two lives, Anouk and Mr. Solomon, that seem incomplete without the other even though they don't really know one another. They both seem to be biding their time and waiting for something miraculous to happen. I wasn't quite sure what to expect with this story and was pleasantly surprised throughout my reading. This story kept me on edge, never knowing what was going to come with the next line or what the characters would do. If you're looking for something different to read, then please add this story to your list.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book that is so enjoyable, that it can easily be read in one sitting. I could not place this book into a single genre, it is a bit of paranormal and fantasy without ever fully setting foot into one of those camps.

I loved the cover, it is like you are stepping into the characters world without opening the book yet. As the book suggests the lives of the characters interact through letters and this brings a touch of humanity to the novel I feel.

Both the characters were very likeable. Anouk seemed a bit crazy at times and was very unpredictable. Whereas G.L. Solomon life up till he started to receive letters for Anouk was very predictable. The reader is also provided with a couple of chapters that sum up the weeks that go past without letters between the two characters.

I had not idea throughout this novel what was going to happen next and got surprise after surprise, every time I turned the pages.

Overall a fantastic novel that deserves great recognition.

A copy of this novel was received for free from the author and all opinions expressed are my own through reading it.

This review first appeared on http://everybookhasasoul

[Shriya · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fact: 'Airmail' is the kind of book any book lover would want to own just for its cover if not anything else!


A story: A girl sees a book on her Goodreads recommendation, falls in love with the cover and is mildly interested by the story-line. An indulging cousin buys his little cousin a book. A girl, after she finishes a book, is so lost in the story that she feels incapacitated to give it a fair review until someone else has read it, until she can chew the story and until she can reminisce about the old man with a portrait who saw everything and knew everything, about the girl followed by the Pink Tracksuit and marbles who multiply with stories.

Sounds dreamy? Poetic? Well, that's 'Airmail' for you! It's dreamy, it's poetic, it's even crazy! Sometimes it seems to make no sense and yet, for a someone's first go at novels this is a master-piece. If you've liked Jean Rhys' 'Good Morning, Midnight' I see no reason why you shouldn't like this!

[1000 +]

Airmail.. is a very different type of book. At first glance you believe you are going to be reading about penpals and a murder mystery. This book takes you much deeper than that
and through so many twists and turns you may not even fully understand what you've read until after you've completed. I'm still not sure I fully understand what I read though I think
I have.

It's a very short and quick read. The book is so interesting that you'll quickly be turning the pages to find out what is happening or to find a clue that will put everything together.

It is a story about two penpals across the globe, one a young girl in New York City and the other a older man in Australia. The young girl, Anuck, is the only one to write. The older man, G.L., only reads he does not respond. That is until a letter from Anuck has him flying across the country to find her.

Please check out the Vlog review on the blog has it really has a lot of information and feedback on this book.

Melissa
Reviewer for 1000 + Books to Read

[Brunch with Viv · Rating 4 out of 5]

This Novella is unlike any book I've read; if I were to be more precise about what makes it 'unlike' other reads, it would be the quirky sense of realism combined with the sense of surrealism. It threw me off balance. Naomi combines the familiar (including that the story is partly set in Australia), with a sense of the unfamiliar (semi-other worldly concepts that cannot be totally understood by the logical human mind).

Stand out features of this book includes the characters - you get to know the two main characters extraordinarily well; it was a delight to read words thrown together in a way which speaks to both my head and my heart. It addresses the themes of loneliness, rejection and the power of words very well.

I'd recommend this book to readers who appreciate a philosophical bent to novels. For those readers who need to know 'what happened', you may find this novella unsettling (because I was never sure if I 'interpreted' the message of the book 'correctly').

I loved the length of the Novella also - read it in two sittings and thoroughly enjoyed this.

[Jeff Greene · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m giving this book 4 out of 5 stars. I wanted to give 5 stars but the storyline was lacking. I felt it needed more fleshing out and with this being a short book the author had opportunities to do just that. Normally I would not rate a book so high when the storyline is a bit absent but the author’s writing voice is the real reason I kept reading and would recommend it to anyone. This author knows how to write with personality and entertainment. I look forward to reading the author again.

[Patricia Sands · Rating 4 out of 5]

When reclusive Mr.G.L. Solomon's lonely existence in Australia is surprisingly interrupted by mysterious letters from Anouk in NYC, a magical story begins to unfold. Naomi Bulger's quirky, creative writing style delivers a perfect combination of suspense and delight in this quick read. Nothing is predictable! I am eagerly looking forward to the next published work from this new voice in literary fiction.

[Mel]

I won this book in a Goodreads First Reads giveaway and really enjoyed it. Was planning to read it before winning it and now definitely recommend it. Loved the collision of the 2 different worlds and how Naomi unpacked both of the main characters and really showed two very different stories but managed to make them into one.

[Cheryl]

Grabbed from Goodreads ad! Looks interesting! Kim and Debbie... check it out!

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very different and I really liked it. Great holiday read

[Tahlia Newland · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an 80 page quirky kind of read with an interesting premise. I liked the marbles holding stories.

[Becky · Rating 1 out of 5]

not sure what i just read - i think you have to be on LSD to "get" this one.