Underground Road

by Sharon Kernot

Damien, Edith, Kenneth and Mary are residents of a single street whose lives are ordinary to the last degree and as such encompass addiction and domestic violence, quiet achievements and small acts of kindness and treachery. Jack and Mary, locked at uncomfortably close quarters on Jack's retirement, chafe and sulk and fret. Edith finds solace in her lonely life playing the pokies. Young Damien, terrified of his stepfather Marcus and the school bully, broods on revenge. And Kenneth, unhinged, wanders the streets. Lives intertwine and decisions are made. And the tension grows to its shattering climax.

232 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2013

Reviews

[Shelleyrae at Book'd Out · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thought-provoking commentary on the social climate of contemporary Australia, Underground Road exposes lives of quiet desperation lived on a single suburban street.

Told in three parts from a omniscient third person perspective we are introduced to four residents of a working class suburb. The recently widowed Edith who spends lonely hours in front of the pokies at the club, mentally ill Kenneth who roams the neighborhood looking for the secrets letterboxes have to tell, twelve year old Damien who lives with his siblings, his mother and her temperamental de facto, and sixty three year old Mary, forced by Centerlink to search for work now that her husband has retired.

Their stories unfold slowly, revealing the unsettling truth of these character's lives behind closed doors. As realistic representatives of the social challenges in Australia today, Kernot's characters draw attention to issues such as gambling addiction, domestic violence, bullying and mental health care.

Underground Road is a moving, poignant and honest novel to challenge your social conscience.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an impressive first novel. The characters are well drawn. There is a mood of impending doom from early on, and Kernot builds tension right through the book. It is a gripping read, but also takes time to incorporate significant social commentary, without being 'preachy'. The lives of the inhabitants of one street are intertwined, each facing different challenges: bullying, domestic violence, gambling, mental illness, adjustment to retirement. The characters are engaging and the reader is drawn into their world from page one.

Whilst it is set in contemporary Australia and has specific Australian references (Centrelink, Commodores, 'pokies' etc.), it might almost be any western country where people face similar challenges.

Highly recommended.

[Susanne Timpani · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sharon Kernot is a South Australian author. She has captured typical battles people living in disadvantaged suburbs often face. In this novel four families living in one street struggle with issues such as family violence, gambling, grief and mental illness. Seemingly unconnected to each other, their lives become entwined through a series of tragedies. The plot is gripping, the characters complex and the attention to detail brings the story to life. Definitely a page turner.

[Gloria (Ms. G's Bookshelf) · Rating 3 out of 5]

A tale of the day to day ordinary lives of neighbours living in a low socio-economic environment somewhere in the northern suburbs of Adelaide, South Australia. The characters stories are wound into domestic violence, mental health, bullying & pokie addiction. A good read and probably very true to real life but I felt the book ended too soon, there was no closure to the story......I needed more.

[Donshae Kaesler · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was great to read a book by a local Adelaide author. The book focuses on the everyday lives and struggles of individuals living on one street in a low socioeconomic area of Adelaide. Very eye opening and worth a read.

[AngelaC · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a wonderful, if unutterably sad, book depicting the lives of some of the people in an outer urban street which was, they said, "originally a really nice place".
Now, everybody in the street had a problem of some kind - domestic violence, gambling addiction, bullying, schizophrenia. In short, this is not a book for the faint-hearted.
It is immensely sad to see young teenager Damien, a bright lad with a good academic future ahead of him, slide into a spiral of hopelessness because of bullying inside and outside school.
I was drawn into this book and felt myself crying "No" as it reached its painful conclusion. Highly recommended.

[Ruth Hosford · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a cracker of a story about a working class neighbourhood where some have fallen on bad times. It’s a very concise and heart rending tale of social breakdowns like bullying, pokie addiction,domestic violence, mental ill health, bereavement and even the sometimes profound effects of retirement. This is all countered by some small acts of kindness that pop up unexpectedly. The focus is on an adolescent boy, Damien, the son of a single mum doing her best to bring up five children in difficult circumstances and how he negotiates his way through his difficulties. It was hard not to feel tearful at times. It’s confronting but well worth a read.

[Josephine Spawton · Rating 4 out of 5]

A real page turner!

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was really impressed with this book. So well written, such strong characters, seemed impossible not to get drawn in by the story. Not keen on the ending but then, what could I have expected?