I Knit Water

by Craig Bolland

Meet Mark Heron ... twenty-something, burned out and recently washed up at the West End house they call Heartbreak Lodge. Meet his new neighbours ... Steve, who won a local art prize and hasn't been able to finish a painting since; Agenes who looks like Malibu Barbie but dresses like a 40s schoolmarm; Dave, optimist, idealist, connoisseur of 'Star Wars' memorabilia and hard core porn; Sarah, compassionate mystic with a checkered past; Speedy a try-sexual Vietnam vet; Trix, rave chick diva and professional nutcracker; Errol ex-Olympic fencer, sliding into old age and dementia. Mark's life becomes interwoven with his fellow tenants, their stories overlaying to form pieces of a whole,. As events unfold that threaten to turn their world upside down, Mark finds he must either go under ... or learn to knit water.This novel deals with urban loneliness. It does not shy away from the difficult questions, the philosophies of life, or from its secrets. It is intelligent, insightful and above all movingly honest. The judges were impressed by Craig Bolland's deft characterisations, his perceptiveness and the gentle humour with which he reveals aspects of the human condition.

224 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2002

Reviews

[tee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a thought provoking book. I got to know Craig via livejournal years ago, and didn't know much about him other than he was published, and he said that I had talent. That has always stuck with me. A published author thought that I had talent, that I had something there! It sure beat my Mum believing I'd be a published author one day. Anyway, my own ego aside, I did like this book. It did read like a 'first' book, I got tripped up by a few little things, the character's sometimes felt like cardboard cutouts, simply invented to voice Bolland's own personal philosophies, and questions. But they were great questions and fascinating everyday philosophies.

The characters were kooky, most of whom were like people I'd met throughout my own life, they were believable and although not fully fleshed out, interesting. It was also great to read a book set in my own stomping ground, Brisbane. I want more of this!

It read like someone my age was having a quarter-life crisis, an identity search, so it spoke to me. I'd really love to read more of Craig's work, I hope he pumps out some more novels, I think now that a few years have passed since this one, he'd have some bloody good stories to weave.

Here's a quote that I really loved:

"We find the strangest things to be frightened about in a life where there is no real danger, no real threat, and so we invent fears that would be absurd in a Borneo head-hunter, or an African mercenary. We become scared of success, choices we've made, scared of not getting there- wherever there may be. Scared of painting, scared of writing, scared of leaving the house, scared of missing out, scared of starting, scared of finishing. here, simply because life is so certain, we become terrified of it."

[Grace · Rating 3 out of 5]

An honest, distilled and enjoyable short novel in a gut-tinglingly familiar West End, Brisbane setting. In short, compartmentalised stories we are introduced to various characters, each with their own perks and quirks. Sometimes in books I feel like I'm learning too much about a character - like the author is trying to establish their finesse by letting me know every time an important character flicks his/her hair behind an ear, picks a nose or changes a facial expression. Bolland's characters, on the other hand, were developed just enough to move the plot forwards and move Mark, the main protagonist, to his next train of thought. The level of profundity in the dialogue left me feeling that my everyday conversations are a little lack-lustre - I had to remind myself that Bolland may have deliberately left out the 'boring bits'. I enjoyed this book so much, and would recommend it to any Brisbane-ite or creative writer looking for tips on how to distil plot, character and dialogue to the point where they feel as if they're rising out of the setting by themselves.

[Tasha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yeah I don't know how to feel about this just yet. I picked this up because it's written by one of my lecturers who is a rad dude. But I kind of just feel a bit High-Fidelity about this, I can't relate to the sad-white-man main character and at the same time it's all very He Died with a Felafel sharehouse type stories which I'm kind of over since I don't ever have to live in a sharehouse ever again knock on wood.
Still, pretty solid effort for a first book. Also he's still a rad dude and an excellent lecturer.

[Bre · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this one. A good, quick summer read. Fun stories but with a serious side to make you think.