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The World Without Us
WINNER OF THE VICTORIAN PREMIER'S LITERARY AWARD 2016
SHORTLISTED FOR THE CHRISTINA STEAD PRIZE FOR FICTION 2016
SHORTLISTED FOR THE STELLA PRIZE 2016
SHORTLISTED FOR THE VOSS LITERARY PRIZE 2016
LONGLISTED FOR THE MILES FRANKLIN LITERARY AWARD 2016
LONGLISTED FOR THE INTERNATIONAL DUBLIN LITERARY AWARD 2017
It has been six months since Tess Müller stopped speaking. Her silence is baffling to her parents, her teachers and her younger sister, Meg. But the more urgent mystery for both girls is where their mother, Evangeline, goes each day, pushing an empty pram. When their father Stefan discovers a car wreck and human remains on their farm, old secrets emerge to threaten the fragile family. A storm is coming and the Müllers are in its path.
SHORTLISTED FOR THE CHRISTINA STEAD PRIZE FOR FICTION 2016
SHORTLISTED FOR THE STELLA PRIZE 2016
SHORTLISTED FOR THE VOSS LITERARY PRIZE 2016
LONGLISTED FOR THE MILES FRANKLIN LITERARY AWARD 2016
LONGLISTED FOR THE INTERNATIONAL DUBLIN LITERARY AWARD 2017
It has been six months since Tess Müller stopped speaking. Her silence is baffling to her parents, her teachers and her younger sister, Meg. But the more urgent mystery for both girls is where their mother, Evangeline, goes each day, pushing an empty pram. When their father Stefan discovers a car wreck and human remains on their farm, old secrets emerge to threaten the fragile family. A storm is coming and the Müllers are in its path.
320 pages, Paperback
First published July 29, 2015
43 people are currently reading
1420 people want to read
About the author
Mireille Juchau
9 books31 followersMIREILLE JUCHAU is a Sydney-based writer of novels, short fiction, essays, scripts and reviews.
Her third novel, The World Without Us will be published internationally by Bloomsbury in Australia in August 2015, the UK and US in 2016. Her second novel, Burning In (Giramondo Publishing, 2007), was published in France – Le révélateur (Mercure de France, 2012) and Croatia – Potamanjivanje (Hrvatsko filolosko, 2013).
In Australia Burning In was shortlisted for the 2008 Prime Minister’s Literary Award, the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize, the Age Book of the Year Award and the Nita B. Kibble Award.
Mireille’s first novel Machines for Feeling (University of Queensland Press, 2001) was shortlisted for the 1999 Vogel/Australian Literary Award.
Mireille’s short fiction, plays, art reviews and essays have appeared in international and Australian anthologies and journals including the Times Literary Supplement, Picador New Writing 4, Meanjin, Heat Magazine and The New Orleans Review. She has a PhD in writing and literature and teaches at universities and in the community.
Her third novel, The World Without Us will be published internationally by Bloomsbury in Australia in August 2015, the UK and US in 2016. Her second novel, Burning In (Giramondo Publishing, 2007), was published in France – Le révélateur (Mercure de France, 2012) and Croatia – Potamanjivanje (Hrvatsko filolosko, 2013).
In Australia Burning In was shortlisted for the 2008 Prime Minister’s Literary Award, the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize, the Age Book of the Year Award and the Nita B. Kibble Award.
Mireille’s first novel Machines for Feeling (University of Queensland Press, 2001) was shortlisted for the 1999 Vogel/Australian Literary Award.
Mireille’s short fiction, plays, art reviews and essays have appeared in international and Australian anthologies and journals including the Times Literary Supplement, Picador New Writing 4, Meanjin, Heat Magazine and The New Orleans Review. She has a PhD in writing and literature and teaches at universities and in the community.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 154 reviews
September 20, 2018
This was an audio read. Audio reads do not sit too well with me, unless the content really appeals. I was not invested in this story as I'd been if holding the book in my hands.
Escaping a commune, mixed up relationships, addiction, trauma; and so much grief for one family. Perhaps I should not even be reviewing this as I was so distracted, but it did not hold my interest.
I enjoyed the prose and thought the author wrote very well, I was just not captivated unfortunately.
Escaping a commune, mixed up relationships, addiction, trauma; and so much grief for one family. Perhaps I should not even be reviewing this as I was so distracted, but it did not hold my interest.
I enjoyed the prose and thought the author wrote very well, I was just not captivated unfortunately.
June 30, 2016
This review is of the audio version, beautifully read by Jennifer Vuletic
'If all the Bees in the world were to suddenly die, man would have only four years to live.'
-A sobering thought.
This beautifully delivered, thought provoking story is a deep observation of the cycles of life, of change, of cause and effect.
From subtle shifts in the atmosphere and its effects on the bees or the weather, to the sudden and shocking announcement of a death...and the ripple effects of these shifts, however great or small, on our surroundings, and on our psyche and the way we survive.
Things that shift our foundations in great or slight ways, unless envisaged and forestalled in conscientious ways can form lasting fissures...which in turn create their own symptoms.
The story is an important observation on the way all things, great or small, have an impact.
The way we interpret or become aware of this delicate balance determines the long or short term effects of our own part in the greater scheme of things, and the ways in which we are affected.
The Müller's are a family that seems to be stuck...stuck in a cycle of grief over many things...but more recently the devastating loss of one of their own.
For Evangeline and Stephan Müller it is the tragic loss of a daughter.
For Tess and Meg the loss of their sister.
And as each grieves in their own way they seem to lose some intrinsic part of themselves in the process, individually and collectively as they try to realign themselves to the new void in their lives.
For Evangeline it may well be her sanity
For Stephan it is his rationale as he descends into denial...and he notices his bees behaving erratically to circumstances he can't decipher.
For Tess it is her inability to affect change, so she rebels by refusing to talk...she has lost her voice.
For Meg it is her grip on life as she knows it...she is struggling to cling to the memories of her family and is afraid because she is forgetting them.
When young Pip died from leukaemia two years ago, this family began to crack, and as their individual layers start to break down so does everything around them seem to be unravelling in concert with their emotional demolition.
The fragility of any commune when there is a shift in the balance that might alter the fabric of its perceived preordination is described here through the experiences of one shattered family....
From the most calamitous, with its instant and shattering announcements, to the most subtle, with its more furtive effects ...change can be equally devastating...and the shifts can often be felt long before and long after the event, the aftershocks..
Just like the community before the fire...
Just like the wife after the effects of the fire.
Just like the father before the loss of a child and the breakdown of his wife.
Just like the mother before the loss of a child and her ability to reason.
Just like the children before the loss of a sibling and the breakdown of their parents, and their ability to cope or reason.
just like the bees before the breakdown of their keeper...
just like this family before the cracks began to appear.
Not a book to rush through, this one must be savoured slowly in order to absorb and appreciate the subtle messages and moments of clarity.
There are so many things going on in this complex story which link to each other in overt and subtle ways that it is almost an "aha" moment when you make the connections.
The language is just a delight to read, and I found myself re-reading paragraphs just to hear them over again.
I will definitely read more from this award winning Australian author.
5★s
.......... ................................
'If all the Bees in the world were to suddenly die, man would have only four years to live.'
-A sobering thought.
This beautifully delivered, thought provoking story is a deep observation of the cycles of life, of change, of cause and effect.
From subtle shifts in the atmosphere and its effects on the bees or the weather, to the sudden and shocking announcement of a death...and the ripple effects of these shifts, however great or small, on our surroundings, and on our psyche and the way we survive.
Things that shift our foundations in great or slight ways, unless envisaged and forestalled in conscientious ways can form lasting fissures...which in turn create their own symptoms.
The story is an important observation on the way all things, great or small, have an impact.
The way we interpret or become aware of this delicate balance determines the long or short term effects of our own part in the greater scheme of things, and the ways in which we are affected.
The Müller's are a family that seems to be stuck...stuck in a cycle of grief over many things...but more recently the devastating loss of one of their own.
For Evangeline and Stephan Müller it is the tragic loss of a daughter.
For Tess and Meg the loss of their sister.
And as each grieves in their own way they seem to lose some intrinsic part of themselves in the process, individually and collectively as they try to realign themselves to the new void in their lives.
For Evangeline it may well be her sanity
For Stephan it is his rationale as he descends into denial...and he notices his bees behaving erratically to circumstances he can't decipher.
For Tess it is her inability to affect change, so she rebels by refusing to talk...she has lost her voice.
For Meg it is her grip on life as she knows it...she is struggling to cling to the memories of her family and is afraid because she is forgetting them.
When young Pip died from leukaemia two years ago, this family began to crack, and as their individual layers start to break down so does everything around them seem to be unravelling in concert with their emotional demolition.
The fragility of any commune when there is a shift in the balance that might alter the fabric of its perceived preordination is described here through the experiences of one shattered family....
From the most calamitous, with its instant and shattering announcements, to the most subtle, with its more furtive effects ...change can be equally devastating...and the shifts can often be felt long before and long after the event, the aftershocks..
Just like the community before the fire...
Just like the wife after the effects of the fire.
Just like the father before the loss of a child and the breakdown of his wife.
Just like the mother before the loss of a child and her ability to reason.
Just like the children before the loss of a sibling and the breakdown of their parents, and their ability to cope or reason.
just like the bees before the breakdown of their keeper...
just like this family before the cracks began to appear.
Not a book to rush through, this one must be savoured slowly in order to absorb and appreciate the subtle messages and moments of clarity.
There are so many things going on in this complex story which link to each other in overt and subtle ways that it is almost an "aha" moment when you make the connections.
The language is just a delight to read, and I found myself re-reading paragraphs just to hear them over again.
I will definitely read more from this award winning Australian author.
5★s
.......... ................................
September 28, 2016
I wasn’t at all sure that this would be my kind of book, but there was something about it that called to me; and when I picked it up and read the opening pages I was drawn in, by lovely writing and by subtle promises of exploring real lives lived with empathy and insight.
It took a little time, and careful reading, to untangle characters and relationships and circumstances, because everyone and everything was introduced with little by way of explanation. I slowly learned what I needed to know, and I discovered that this was a book that rewarded close attention.
It isn’t a book full of action and drama; it’s a book that captures particular lives shaped by particular circumstances.
Stefan and Evangeline Müller live on a farm in a quiet valley in the north coast of New South Wales with two young daughters, Tess and Meg. They’d had a third daughter, Pip, who had died of leukaemia two years ago, and the family had not recovered from that loss.
Evangeline is an artist who spent her childhood in a commune, and had remained there until it was destroyed in a devastating fire that left her with physical and mental scars. Her daughter’s death left her unable to paint; instead she left the house every day, pushing an empty pram, and staying away for hours at a time.
Stefan is an apiarist, following in a long a family tradition of caring for bees and their hives. When his daughter died it became an obsession. He found that bees were escaping and he struggled to understand why. Then he turned to drink.
Tess and Meg are struggling with their grief too. Tess has been mute for months, and obsesses over the house, the weather, and the differences between her and her sisters. Meg worries about her family, and she worries that her memories of Pip are slowly fading.
And then there’s Jim Parker, Tess’s teacher, who has come from Sydney to leave the past behind him and start a new life.
Jim and Evangeline meet, but he doesn’t realise that she is the mother of his silent pupil and she doesn’t realise that he is her daughter’s teacher.
A relationship develops.
The story is beautifully written. The words are poetic, they are understated, and yet somehow they swept me along.
There is a plot spinning around these lives. Developers are encroaching on the unspoilt valley and protestors are responding. A wrecked car is uncovered on the Müller property. Someone Jim thought he had left behind reappears. And it seems that there is more to be learned about the commune fire.
It’s all topical, it’s all credible, there’s nothing that I can say is wrong, but when it all comes together it’s a little too much.
But I found it easy put that to one side, because there is so much else that makes this story sing.
There is the exploration of those intertwined lives, of the consequences of grief that is unshared and unexpressed, of the complexities of human interactions and relationships, of the difference between emotion and expression, of the different realities of each and every life ….
There is the depth of understanding and the clarity of expression of all of this. In beautiful language that is poetic, understated and utterly right.
More than enough to reward the time and attention that I gave to this book.
It took a little time, and careful reading, to untangle characters and relationships and circumstances, because everyone and everything was introduced with little by way of explanation. I slowly learned what I needed to know, and I discovered that this was a book that rewarded close attention.
It isn’t a book full of action and drama; it’s a book that captures particular lives shaped by particular circumstances.
Stefan and Evangeline Müller live on a farm in a quiet valley in the north coast of New South Wales with two young daughters, Tess and Meg. They’d had a third daughter, Pip, who had died of leukaemia two years ago, and the family had not recovered from that loss.
Evangeline is an artist who spent her childhood in a commune, and had remained there until it was destroyed in a devastating fire that left her with physical and mental scars. Her daughter’s death left her unable to paint; instead she left the house every day, pushing an empty pram, and staying away for hours at a time.
Stefan is an apiarist, following in a long a family tradition of caring for bees and their hives. When his daughter died it became an obsession. He found that bees were escaping and he struggled to understand why. Then he turned to drink.
Tess and Meg are struggling with their grief too. Tess has been mute for months, and obsesses over the house, the weather, and the differences between her and her sisters. Meg worries about her family, and she worries that her memories of Pip are slowly fading.
And then there’s Jim Parker, Tess’s teacher, who has come from Sydney to leave the past behind him and start a new life.
Jim and Evangeline meet, but he doesn’t realise that she is the mother of his silent pupil and she doesn’t realise that he is her daughter’s teacher.
A relationship develops.
The story is beautifully written. The words are poetic, they are understated, and yet somehow they swept me along.
There is a plot spinning around these lives. Developers are encroaching on the unspoilt valley and protestors are responding. A wrecked car is uncovered on the Müller property. Someone Jim thought he had left behind reappears. And it seems that there is more to be learned about the commune fire.
It’s all topical, it’s all credible, there’s nothing that I can say is wrong, but when it all comes together it’s a little too much.
But I found it easy put that to one side, because there is so much else that makes this story sing.
There is the exploration of those intertwined lives, of the consequences of grief that is unshared and unexpressed, of the complexities of human interactions and relationships, of the difference between emotion and expression, of the different realities of each and every life ….
There is the depth of understanding and the clarity of expression of all of this. In beautiful language that is poetic, understated and utterly right.
More than enough to reward the time and attention that I gave to this book.
April 29, 2016
I chose this book because it's on the Miles Franklin 2016 long list and if this is meant to be one of the best works of Australian fiction this year then I despair. I read several online reviews and was left wondering if the reviewers had read the same book or had I come into possession of the literary equivalent of a Bali knock-off. Large holes in the plot and unnecessary diversions - is Jim a cross-dresser and why mention his bee allergy? Bees, fracking, random characters wandering in and out, mute daughter, commune, drug pusher.....I could go on but why bother?
March 29, 2016
"The World Without Us", as in the world once we are gone or as in the world that isn't within us? Either interpretation would work for this soul-searching novel about loss and connection. Each of the main characters is dealing with a major loss. Tess has lost her beloved sister and her will to talk; Jim has lost his mother and the idea of a child and family that he feels has been taken from him by his girlfriend; Stefan has lost his daughter but also his connection with his wife (and the foundation of his family is beginning to crumble); and Evangeline has lost everything, including the thin threads of her past.
How each of them handles his loss is unique, but each of them does it somewhat by cutting off the world as much a possible. Tess stops talking, Jim runs to another life in the small town where he crosses path with the Mueller family, Stefan concentrates all his energy onto the bees he keeps, and Evangeline shuts out her family and pursues a less intimate (or ultimately more intimate) relationship with a stranger.
It is not the plot of this story that moves it forward, although there is a lot of hinting at a mysterious occurrence at the commune that was burned and from which Evangeline escaped, there is a body that needs to be explained and there are relationships that predate Evangeline's marriage that still impact her present. It is rather the inward turnings of these people that keep you involved and aching to understand. It is pathos but without melodrama, tragedy tinged with hope.
Juchau writes in a disjointed style, revealing only tidbits of information as she proceeds and making the reader decipher the clues to these people as if they were jigsaw puzzles that needed to be assembled to be understood. In the beginning this feels foreign and difficult, but as it proceeds it begins to feel right. It begins to feel as if this is a reflection of how we really get to know about people and how people really being to know about themselves. Which of us thinks in straight lines? Who doesn't seek the answer in some bad places before they light upon the truth, sometimes on their own doorstep?
My thanks to Bloomsbury Publishing, Mireille Jachau and Goodreads for an opportunity to read and review this marvelous work in return for an honest review. I recommend it highly and will most happily read other works by Mireille Jachau...a very impressive author indeed.
How each of them handles his loss is unique, but each of them does it somewhat by cutting off the world as much a possible. Tess stops talking, Jim runs to another life in the small town where he crosses path with the Mueller family, Stefan concentrates all his energy onto the bees he keeps, and Evangeline shuts out her family and pursues a less intimate (or ultimately more intimate) relationship with a stranger.
It is not the plot of this story that moves it forward, although there is a lot of hinting at a mysterious occurrence at the commune that was burned and from which Evangeline escaped, there is a body that needs to be explained and there are relationships that predate Evangeline's marriage that still impact her present. It is rather the inward turnings of these people that keep you involved and aching to understand. It is pathos but without melodrama, tragedy tinged with hope.
Juchau writes in a disjointed style, revealing only tidbits of information as she proceeds and making the reader decipher the clues to these people as if they were jigsaw puzzles that needed to be assembled to be understood. In the beginning this feels foreign and difficult, but as it proceeds it begins to feel right. It begins to feel as if this is a reflection of how we really get to know about people and how people really being to know about themselves. Which of us thinks in straight lines? Who doesn't seek the answer in some bad places before they light upon the truth, sometimes on their own doorstep?
My thanks to Bloomsbury Publishing, Mireille Jachau and Goodreads for an opportunity to read and review this marvelous work in return for an honest review. I recommend it highly and will most happily read other works by Mireille Jachau...a very impressive author indeed.
December 30, 2015
I felt like I probably missed something in this book...I sadly felt a bit 'Meh'...I didnt think the lack of quotation marks would bother me...but it really did...I often felt confused, and unsure what was external dialogue or internal dialogue.
July 26, 2015
I wish we could do half stars as for me this was a 2.5... although the story (and the stories within the story) were interesting, I had to fight my way through it, and for me, personally, that isn't how I want to read. If you like literary fiction, you will probably enjoy this book, although I don't quite understand the appeal of the genre so I probably don't know what you would like. If you are new to it, give it a shot. Either way, I think we should all judge this book by the cover (beautiful, although the text gets slightly lost), and give it a shot.
Aside from the stunning cover, this is not a book I would normally pick to read as I am not one for literary fiction. It wasn’t a bad read, not one I would pour over again and again, but one I would probably recommend to some of my more literary friends. The story is beautifully written and explores six intertwined lives and a past that refuses to be forgotten. This is a novel of grief, growing up, the complexities of relationships, the mystery of life, and the inner and outer world of humanity. No life is simple, despite what outside appearances may portray, and Juchau gives us an insight into the lives of the Müller family, silent Tess, her sister and voice, Meg, their broken and disappearing mother, Evangeline and their lost father, Stefan, and those who surround them, including the fleeing Jim, the Müller’s neighbour and Tess’s teacher, and survivalist, Tom Tucker.
The language that Juchau uses is poetic which I could lose myself in or just get plain lost. I found that I had to be fully invested in reading, with no distractions, to be able to concentrate on the story, no mean feat in today’s world. I like to read whenever I get the opportunity – waiting for the microwave to heat up my lunch, in the checkout queue at the supermarket, waiting for an appointment – but I found this book wasn’t conducive to this sort of opportunistic reading, where I can get lost in seconds. Once I realised this, I was able to get into the story and appreciate it more.
I found myself disoriented by the time that passed in the book, even down to the age of the characters, which seemed to pass rapidly even though I felt like it was standing still (much like real life I guess). As a result, I found myself confused at the sophisticated nature of the language being used by the children, Tess and Meg, and Tess’s teacher, Jim. Perhaps we ‘dumb down’ the younger generation now, assuming that primary school and early high school students wouldn’t understand such complex concepts and ideas and perhaps this is Juchau’s way of denying that assumption and showing us that assuming really does make an ass out of you and me. I think the reaction to this will vary from reader to reader and will be strongly impacted by their relationships with children.
There is a sense of paranoia and loss and renewal that dominates the book from beginning to end and encouraged the momentum of the story. It left me needing to know the answers to the mysteries, the sheer magnitude of the losses suffered and the comfort and hope of the ‘after’.
Aside from the stunning cover, this is not a book I would normally pick to read as I am not one for literary fiction. It wasn’t a bad read, not one I would pour over again and again, but one I would probably recommend to some of my more literary friends. The story is beautifully written and explores six intertwined lives and a past that refuses to be forgotten. This is a novel of grief, growing up, the complexities of relationships, the mystery of life, and the inner and outer world of humanity. No life is simple, despite what outside appearances may portray, and Juchau gives us an insight into the lives of the Müller family, silent Tess, her sister and voice, Meg, their broken and disappearing mother, Evangeline and their lost father, Stefan, and those who surround them, including the fleeing Jim, the Müller’s neighbour and Tess’s teacher, and survivalist, Tom Tucker.
The language that Juchau uses is poetic which I could lose myself in or just get plain lost. I found that I had to be fully invested in reading, with no distractions, to be able to concentrate on the story, no mean feat in today’s world. I like to read whenever I get the opportunity – waiting for the microwave to heat up my lunch, in the checkout queue at the supermarket, waiting for an appointment – but I found this book wasn’t conducive to this sort of opportunistic reading, where I can get lost in seconds. Once I realised this, I was able to get into the story and appreciate it more.
I found myself disoriented by the time that passed in the book, even down to the age of the characters, which seemed to pass rapidly even though I felt like it was standing still (much like real life I guess). As a result, I found myself confused at the sophisticated nature of the language being used by the children, Tess and Meg, and Tess’s teacher, Jim. Perhaps we ‘dumb down’ the younger generation now, assuming that primary school and early high school students wouldn’t understand such complex concepts and ideas and perhaps this is Juchau’s way of denying that assumption and showing us that assuming really does make an ass out of you and me. I think the reaction to this will vary from reader to reader and will be strongly impacted by their relationships with children.
There is a sense of paranoia and loss and renewal that dominates the book from beginning to end and encouraged the momentum of the story. It left me needing to know the answers to the mysteries, the sheer magnitude of the losses suffered and the comfort and hope of the ‘after’.
December 7, 2017
What a fun year it has been participating in the ‘Yearly Reading Plan’ challenge with my dear friend Amanda, who was also the one who suggested this great challenge. Thanks so much, Amanda, it was a real pleasure doing this with you.
And what a lovely way to end the reading challenge year with a book of our own choosing, I chose a book that I started last year, November, The World Without Us by Mireille Juchau, and as I had never read a literary fiction aka ‘serious fiction’ before I abandoned the book after only a few pages in as I wasn’t accustomed to that style of writing. Literary Fiction explores subtleties and complexities of language and tends to be character - driven rather than plot driven. No thank you.
But joining a book club has changed my way of thinking as some of the book club picks have been on the literary side and as months went by I started to enjoy some of them immensely therefore I decided to pick ‘The World Without Us’ up again and give it another go.
Continuing where I left off and by the time of its conclusion I was enchanted by the authors lyrical writing, the evocative setting and rich characters. The narrative switches back and forth numerous times and there are many characters to keep track of but overall a deeply moving story.
Oh, and the cover...simply stunning!
And what a lovely way to end the reading challenge year with a book of our own choosing, I chose a book that I started last year, November, The World Without Us by Mireille Juchau, and as I had never read a literary fiction aka ‘serious fiction’ before I abandoned the book after only a few pages in as I wasn’t accustomed to that style of writing. Literary Fiction explores subtleties and complexities of language and tends to be character - driven rather than plot driven. No thank you.
But joining a book club has changed my way of thinking as some of the book club picks have been on the literary side and as months went by I started to enjoy some of them immensely therefore I decided to pick ‘The World Without Us’ up again and give it another go.
Continuing where I left off and by the time of its conclusion I was enchanted by the authors lyrical writing, the evocative setting and rich characters. The narrative switches back and forth numerous times and there are many characters to keep track of but overall a deeply moving story.
Oh, and the cover...simply stunning!
March 24, 2016
I knew from the first page that this was going to be a 5 star book for me.. I love the underwritten style; the pace and the cadence.. Having lived for nearly 20 years in a 'Village in the Rainforest' that had been famous for it's hippie markets and ex-communes, I knew these people and the interwoven lives.
So many themes interwoven; grief of one family being the most explored.. Very real.
So many themes interwoven; grief of one family being the most explored.. Very real.
December 20, 2015
I bought this book because I liked the cover and I had heard the author being interviewed on the radio. The book is written with beautiful prose, but I found the characters to be ultimately unlike-able and the plot- such that it is- to be rather nebulous. I guess when the blurb on the back of the novel describes it as "elegiac" this is what happens. It was quite a pleasant read- but I feel like in a couple of weeks I will have totally forgotten any aspect of the text.
April 9, 2016
Longlisted for the 2016 Miles Franklin Award, The World Without Us begins slowly with a network of scenes that eventually form a structure in a way that a beehive does. It takes a little while to connect the characters and their relationships, so the reader needs a bit of patience in order for the story to cohere…
Just as a hive depends on its Queen and will swarm wherever she leads it, so the central character of this novel is Evangeline, whose family is adrift ever since she lost her way when her daughter Pip died two years ago.
(Yes, it is another story about grief and loss, there’s a lot of this about in Australian literary fiction at the moment, and the Miles Franklin judges have acknowledged that it’s a common theme in their choices:
“The impact of grief and loss – complex families, unstable relationships, accidents, European war crimes, suicide, – and how the experience of these issues deeply determine the narrative and direction of lives”.
That’s as quoted in the SMH, I defy anyone to locate judges’ comments on the new MF website!)
The story begins with conflicting images of Evangeline: a strong, arresting-looking woman confidently stripping off to swim in the river, she’s not embarrassed to be joined by a neighbour, the new teacher in town who’s called Jim. But as he soon realises, there is a powerful undercurrent drawing her towards the falls, and she seems to be drifting towards oblivion. When he pulls her back to safety, he sees her private memorial, a sort of installation composed of Pip’s medication boxes and mementoes strung from a tree. In withdrawing with her own grief in this intensely private way, Evangeline has abandoned her other two daughters Tess and Meg and her apiarist husband Stefan, leaving them to flounder around on their own
To read the rest of my review please visit https://anzlitlovers.com/2016/04/09/t...
Just as a hive depends on its Queen and will swarm wherever she leads it, so the central character of this novel is Evangeline, whose family is adrift ever since she lost her way when her daughter Pip died two years ago.
(Yes, it is another story about grief and loss, there’s a lot of this about in Australian literary fiction at the moment, and the Miles Franklin judges have acknowledged that it’s a common theme in their choices:
“The impact of grief and loss – complex families, unstable relationships, accidents, European war crimes, suicide, – and how the experience of these issues deeply determine the narrative and direction of lives”.
That’s as quoted in the SMH, I defy anyone to locate judges’ comments on the new MF website!)
The story begins with conflicting images of Evangeline: a strong, arresting-looking woman confidently stripping off to swim in the river, she’s not embarrassed to be joined by a neighbour, the new teacher in town who’s called Jim. But as he soon realises, there is a powerful undercurrent drawing her towards the falls, and she seems to be drifting towards oblivion. When he pulls her back to safety, he sees her private memorial, a sort of installation composed of Pip’s medication boxes and mementoes strung from a tree. In withdrawing with her own grief in this intensely private way, Evangeline has abandoned her other two daughters Tess and Meg and her apiarist husband Stefan, leaving them to flounder around on their own
To read the rest of my review please visit https://anzlitlovers.com/2016/04/09/t...
July 16, 2021
2.5 there are two main reasons I bought this book: 1) for the pretty cover and 2) because it had the name Evangeline in it. However the story line just didn’t cut it for me and the dialogue with no speech marks was quite irritating. Some people would enjoy the style, I just wasn’t a big fan.
November 2, 2022
Vor sechs Monaten ist Tess' jüngste Schwester gestorben. Seitdem redet sie nicht mehr. Aber auch der Rest der Familie hat Schwierigkeiten, sich seiner Trauer zu stellen. Der Vater flüchtet sich zu seinen Bienen, die Mutter geht nur noch mit einem Regenschirm aus dem Haus und die jüngere Schwester tut so, als ob alles normal wäre. Aber sie können ihrer Vergangenheit nicht entkommen. Nicht der jüngeren, aber auch nicht der älteren Vergangenheit.
Evangeline ist tief traumatisiert. Der Tod ihrer Tochter hat Erinnerungen aus der Vergangenheit wieder hochkommen lassen, die sie lange unterdrückt hatte. Aber was das genau war, enthüllt die Autorin erst im Lauf der Geschichte. Solange ich nicht die gesamte Geschichte kannte, kam mir Evangeline bestenfalls exzentrisch, oft aber auch egoistisch vor.
Für mich war Tess der zentrale Charakter der Geschichte, denn sie ist diejenige, die sich die meisten Gedanken über jedes einzelne Familienmitglied macht, während die anderen mehr mit sich beschäftig sind.
Ich hätte es schön gefunden, wenn ich gleich von Anfang an mehr über die Familiengeschichte gewusst hätte, dann hätte ich die Gedanken und Gefühle der einzelnen Familienmitglieder besser einordnen können. Ohne dieses Wissens waren es nur einzelne Episoden, die ich erst am Ende zu einer Geschichte zusammensetzen konnte.
Evangeline ist tief traumatisiert. Der Tod ihrer Tochter hat Erinnerungen aus der Vergangenheit wieder hochkommen lassen, die sie lange unterdrückt hatte. Aber was das genau war, enthüllt die Autorin erst im Lauf der Geschichte. Solange ich nicht die gesamte Geschichte kannte, kam mir Evangeline bestenfalls exzentrisch, oft aber auch egoistisch vor.
Für mich war Tess der zentrale Charakter der Geschichte, denn sie ist diejenige, die sich die meisten Gedanken über jedes einzelne Familienmitglied macht, während die anderen mehr mit sich beschäftig sind.
Ich hätte es schön gefunden, wenn ich gleich von Anfang an mehr über die Familiengeschichte gewusst hätte, dann hätte ich die Gedanken und Gefühle der einzelnen Familienmitglieder besser einordnen können. Ohne dieses Wissens waren es nur einzelne Episoden, die ich erst am Ende zu einer Geschichte zusammensetzen konnte.
March 31, 2016
The World Without Us by Mireille Juchau is a multi faceted work about loss and grief; intimacy and communication; but above all—survival.
‘They’ve already survived the indescribable: named the stars to distract a sister, stood very still as her coffin hovered. They’d lost Pip and a fellow feeling. They’d lost the mother who’d once been fearless.’
After the death of their youngest daughter Pip, each member of the Müller family is trying to manage their loss. Meg, now the youngest, surrounds herself with music and copious drawings of the feelings she cannot articulate. The eldest daughter Tess refuses to talk, not uttering a sound since Pip died. Their father Stefan finds distraction in the bottom of a bottle and their mother Evangeline has stopped painting and withdrawn from her family. It is the silence, the inability to communicate, that creates the most damage. Tess has chosen to remain mute, a punishment to herself and her family; but others are simply incapable of facing the memories that wound. Entombed in her own silent suffering, Evangeline deflects her pain in the arms of a lover. Scraps of memory collide in her scarred amnesic past and we glimpse her earlier years in the nearby 70’s commune ‘The Hive’ and sense there is a larger story looming.
Juchau’s poetic prose draws a beautiful interaction between place and character, one echoing the other, and forming a symbiotic relationship. Fighting to survive under the pressure of climate change and corporate inducements to allow gas seam fracking, the rural town of Bidgalong Valley is undergoing change. Like the failing hives they tend to, they are ‘creatures where they oughtn’t be, things obeying no natural order’. There is a parallel between the Müller family and the hives that are the backbone of their survival. Evangeline—the queen of Honig Farm—is the centre of the family’s life—‘For indeed the ascetic workers, her daughters, regard the queen above all as the organ of love, indispensable, certainly, and sacred, but in herself somewhat unconscious.’—without her the family will fail. On a larger scale the novel provides a window into a global perspective, where organised communities of bees and towns face collapse. They must persevere and adapt to their new environments or become extinct.
Although the storyline revolves around the Müller family tragedy, there are a tangle of subsequent plotlines. Like a piece of origami, the intricate folds combine to form an elaborate story. The mystery of the destruction of the hippie commune; the discovery of a skeleton in the shell of an old car wreck; and the historical and emotional bonds of various interconnecting figures. These are fragmented within the work, disclosing themselves along with the perspectives, discoveries and memories of each character. I often found myself backtracking to previous sections to ensure I hadn’t missed a key point, or misread a plotline. The feeling created is one of disconnection, mirroring the novel, and enhanced by Juchau’s style, exposing only part of each character and leaving many details unknown. At the end many of these threads are left only partly resolved, the reader being denied the satisfying ‘tying up’ that we expect, and are given, in today’s modern novel. As such, I was forced to think a little more, form my own opinions and in the end was given the freedom to conjure my own conclusions to a complex piece of writing.
‘They’ve already survived the indescribable: named the stars to distract a sister, stood very still as her coffin hovered. They’d lost Pip and a fellow feeling. They’d lost the mother who’d once been fearless.’
After the death of their youngest daughter Pip, each member of the Müller family is trying to manage their loss. Meg, now the youngest, surrounds herself with music and copious drawings of the feelings she cannot articulate. The eldest daughter Tess refuses to talk, not uttering a sound since Pip died. Their father Stefan finds distraction in the bottom of a bottle and their mother Evangeline has stopped painting and withdrawn from her family. It is the silence, the inability to communicate, that creates the most damage. Tess has chosen to remain mute, a punishment to herself and her family; but others are simply incapable of facing the memories that wound. Entombed in her own silent suffering, Evangeline deflects her pain in the arms of a lover. Scraps of memory collide in her scarred amnesic past and we glimpse her earlier years in the nearby 70’s commune ‘The Hive’ and sense there is a larger story looming.
Juchau’s poetic prose draws a beautiful interaction between place and character, one echoing the other, and forming a symbiotic relationship. Fighting to survive under the pressure of climate change and corporate inducements to allow gas seam fracking, the rural town of Bidgalong Valley is undergoing change. Like the failing hives they tend to, they are ‘creatures where they oughtn’t be, things obeying no natural order’. There is a parallel between the Müller family and the hives that are the backbone of their survival. Evangeline—the queen of Honig Farm—is the centre of the family’s life—‘For indeed the ascetic workers, her daughters, regard the queen above all as the organ of love, indispensable, certainly, and sacred, but in herself somewhat unconscious.’—without her the family will fail. On a larger scale the novel provides a window into a global perspective, where organised communities of bees and towns face collapse. They must persevere and adapt to their new environments or become extinct.
Although the storyline revolves around the Müller family tragedy, there are a tangle of subsequent plotlines. Like a piece of origami, the intricate folds combine to form an elaborate story. The mystery of the destruction of the hippie commune; the discovery of a skeleton in the shell of an old car wreck; and the historical and emotional bonds of various interconnecting figures. These are fragmented within the work, disclosing themselves along with the perspectives, discoveries and memories of each character. I often found myself backtracking to previous sections to ensure I hadn’t missed a key point, or misread a plotline. The feeling created is one of disconnection, mirroring the novel, and enhanced by Juchau’s style, exposing only part of each character and leaving many details unknown. At the end many of these threads are left only partly resolved, the reader being denied the satisfying ‘tying up’ that we expect, and are given, in today’s modern novel. As such, I was forced to think a little more, form my own opinions and in the end was given the freedom to conjure my own conclusions to a complex piece of writing.
April 12, 2016
My full review (in the context of the Stella Prize is here: https://booksaremyfavouriteandbest.wo...
Can I start out by saying that I hope I never have to read two books about communes in the space of a few weeks again? Probably not, but I did. It’s just not my scene, man…
And while this hippy commune story compares favourably to the last one I read, I need to stress that two coming-of-age-stories-set-in-communes-with-commune-destroying-fires-and-hippy-mothers-who-can’t-read-plus-a-side-of-paternity-issues on the one prize shortlist is just dumb. Where’s the diversity? Where’s the interest for people* who don’t like hippy commune stories that much?
There are multiple plots in this story, some of which are heavily interwoven, others which are not. Most of the story is focused on the Müller family – they’re grief-stricken after the loss of their youngest daughter, Pip, to cancer.
“I don’t mean to hurt you, she says. But when I look at your face I see Pip. So I look away. He ought to be shocked. But he’s briefly relieved. It isn’t hate, or some other feeling between them then. It is at least love that averts her.”
In response to Pip’s death, mother Evangeline wanders the forest; father Stefan focuses on his apiary and alcohol; eldest daughter Tess stops speaking; and middle daughter, Meg, channels her worries into intricate drawings. But it is not just a story about grief – there’s the new school teacher struggling to settle in; the discovery of a car wreck and human remains on the Müller farm; disappearing bees; the town loner trying to make sense of his heritage; the town gossip stirring trouble; amnesia, issues of paternity, alcohol abuse, environmental vandalism and much, much more.
It was all a little exhausting… A shame because there were some truly lovely moments in Jachau’s writing.
“Tess sees the bare feet first, whizzing through the air. Then the chopstick shins and saggy knickers, the vulnerable dip where the spine meets elastic. It’s her sister Meg, practising handstands and cartwheels…”
“Her mascara was smudged, a stray pin abseiled from her hair.”
Likewise, if there had been less ‘busyness’, some of the analogies could have been extended – I’m quite sure there was more to be explored in relation to the organisation of bees (hive and commune comparisons and the need to work together); finding one’s voice; and the idea of being foreign (from the introduction of imported queen bees and displaced German-born Stefan and school teacher Jim, to the exploration activities undertaken by a mining company in the surrounding forest).
Further extending the theme of belonging or being foreign, a number of characters (three in total) were questioning their paternity, highlighting the issue of what makes a parent – biology or being present?
I feel like this book could have been so much better with a heavy edit (or perhaps Jachau could have saved some of the plot-lines for her next book?).
Lastly, I must mention the cover. It’s sublime.
3/5 (Just. More like a 2.7)
*me
Can I start out by saying that I hope I never have to read two books about communes in the space of a few weeks again? Probably not, but I did. It’s just not my scene, man…
And while this hippy commune story compares favourably to the last one I read, I need to stress that two coming-of-age-stories-set-in-communes-with-commune-destroying-fires-and-hippy-mothers-who-can’t-read-plus-a-side-of-paternity-issues on the one prize shortlist is just dumb. Where’s the diversity? Where’s the interest for people* who don’t like hippy commune stories that much?
There are multiple plots in this story, some of which are heavily interwoven, others which are not. Most of the story is focused on the Müller family – they’re grief-stricken after the loss of their youngest daughter, Pip, to cancer.
“I don’t mean to hurt you, she says. But when I look at your face I see Pip. So I look away. He ought to be shocked. But he’s briefly relieved. It isn’t hate, or some other feeling between them then. It is at least love that averts her.”
In response to Pip’s death, mother Evangeline wanders the forest; father Stefan focuses on his apiary and alcohol; eldest daughter Tess stops speaking; and middle daughter, Meg, channels her worries into intricate drawings. But it is not just a story about grief – there’s the new school teacher struggling to settle in; the discovery of a car wreck and human remains on the Müller farm; disappearing bees; the town loner trying to make sense of his heritage; the town gossip stirring trouble; amnesia, issues of paternity, alcohol abuse, environmental vandalism and much, much more.
It was all a little exhausting… A shame because there were some truly lovely moments in Jachau’s writing.
“Tess sees the bare feet first, whizzing through the air. Then the chopstick shins and saggy knickers, the vulnerable dip where the spine meets elastic. It’s her sister Meg, practising handstands and cartwheels…”
“Her mascara was smudged, a stray pin abseiled from her hair.”
Likewise, if there had been less ‘busyness’, some of the analogies could have been extended – I’m quite sure there was more to be explored in relation to the organisation of bees (hive and commune comparisons and the need to work together); finding one’s voice; and the idea of being foreign (from the introduction of imported queen bees and displaced German-born Stefan and school teacher Jim, to the exploration activities undertaken by a mining company in the surrounding forest).
Further extending the theme of belonging or being foreign, a number of characters (three in total) were questioning their paternity, highlighting the issue of what makes a parent – biology or being present?
I feel like this book could have been so much better with a heavy edit (or perhaps Jachau could have saved some of the plot-lines for her next book?).
Lastly, I must mention the cover. It’s sublime.
3/5 (Just. More like a 2.7)
*me
November 27, 2016
There's no denying that Mireille Juchau is a talented writer, and on a technical level the sentences in this book are lovely. I was looking forward to reading a book set in a small coastal community so similar to the ones on the NSW north coast, but unfortunately the story line let the book down for me and I had to force myself to finish it.
I lost interest about halfway through because I didn't connect with any of the characters. Although we have access to their intimate thoughts I found them to be very one-dimensional. There were also gaps in logic that were frustrating. For example, towards the end of the book Evangeline says that Tom is the person to go to for town history, but we are also supposed to accept that he knew nothing about his own father and brother till recently, and the whole town kept this secret from him for a decade. It's not even clear why it was a secret. And why is Peter so central to the story line but we find out almost nothing about him except that he tried to force Evangeline to give Tess to him when she was a baby? (because what young, drug-dealing men want more than anything in the world is a baby to look after on their own).
Also why, on a commune that celebrates free love, would Evangeline feel that she had to give her baby up for adoption? Lana is the most cardboard character of all, an the dark hints about her were just irritating when it became clear the author had no intention of fleshing them out. I don't even know if there was any resolution about the mysterious fire that was mentioned ad nauseam because I started skimming at the three quarter mark. I'm sure it was all deeply symbolic and meaningful in some way, but for me this book did not work. I know this is 'literary fiction' but it would have benefited from more attention to the story momentum and character development.
I lost interest about halfway through because I didn't connect with any of the characters. Although we have access to their intimate thoughts I found them to be very one-dimensional. There were also gaps in logic that were frustrating. For example, towards the end of the book Evangeline says that Tom is the person to go to for town history, but we are also supposed to accept that he knew nothing about his own father and brother till recently, and the whole town kept this secret from him for a decade. It's not even clear why it was a secret. And why is Peter so central to the story line but we find out almost nothing about him except that he tried to force Evangeline to give Tess to him when she was a baby? (because what young, drug-dealing men want more than anything in the world is a baby to look after on their own).
Also why, on a commune that celebrates free love, would Evangeline feel that she had to give her baby up for adoption? Lana is the most cardboard character of all, an the dark hints about her were just irritating when it became clear the author had no intention of fleshing them out. I don't even know if there was any resolution about the mysterious fire that was mentioned ad nauseam because I started skimming at the three quarter mark. I'm sure it was all deeply symbolic and meaningful in some way, but for me this book did not work. I know this is 'literary fiction' but it would have benefited from more attention to the story momentum and character development.
April 24, 2016
I enjoyed this, although I was struggling to work out how the threads were going to work together, and I'm not really sure that it was a fully satisfying ending. Still, a great sense of the location, the cultural environment, and some of the difficult struggles the different characters encounters. Some lovely scenes and descriptions too, about the struggles to articulate feelings, or to hide from the past:
'She dimly recollects the spell for bearing pain - how the urge to escape amplifies the hurt. Try to stop running away ... she feels a surge, inside and out, but is it the baby, or herself, emerging into being?'
'But why would Pip ask you to do that?' their mother says, her white fist holding the bed rail. ... Her anger, missing from their lives for so long is a surprise and relief. Her anger confirms - she's fully present, feeling something'
" I couldn't give you up, she says, turning to Tess. As the months passed I made up my mind. I had you. I kept you ... But then ... says Meg. Who's Tess's father? Their mother's gaze jumps from one to the other. You're all mine, she says very quietly. Does it matter who your father is? ... Tess stares at her mother's desperate face. Somewhere inside, there's the relic of a will - to be heard, to be seen, even if her mother's suffering outclasses her own. And so, fighting everything walled up, a shaky, depleted feeling running through her, she asks, Well then, who was he?'
'She dimly recollects the spell for bearing pain - how the urge to escape amplifies the hurt. Try to stop running away ... she feels a surge, inside and out, but is it the baby, or herself, emerging into being?'
'But why would Pip ask you to do that?' their mother says, her white fist holding the bed rail. ... Her anger, missing from their lives for so long is a surprise and relief. Her anger confirms - she's fully present, feeling something'
" I couldn't give you up, she says, turning to Tess. As the months passed I made up my mind. I had you. I kept you ... But then ... says Meg. Who's Tess's father? Their mother's gaze jumps from one to the other. You're all mine, she says very quietly. Does it matter who your father is? ... Tess stares at her mother's desperate face. Somewhere inside, there's the relic of a will - to be heard, to be seen, even if her mother's suffering outclasses her own. And so, fighting everything walled up, a shaky, depleted feeling running through her, she asks, Well then, who was he?'
September 9, 2015
3.5
I really liked elements of this book - the language is lovely, the setting well realised and the two central daughters well drawn. I struggled more with the plot - there were a few too many moving parts for me, and the connections between many of them were purposely left unresolved. The adult characters didn't connect strongly with me, and the post-commune setting was overshadowed in my memory by the wonderful (and recently read) Arcadia. Still, Juchau is clearly a talented writer - I'll definitely dig into her previous books when I get the chance.
I really liked elements of this book - the language is lovely, the setting well realised and the two central daughters well drawn. I struggled more with the plot - there were a few too many moving parts for me, and the connections between many of them were purposely left unresolved. The adult characters didn't connect strongly with me, and the post-commune setting was overshadowed in my memory by the wonderful (and recently read) Arcadia. Still, Juchau is clearly a talented writer - I'll definitely dig into her previous books when I get the chance.
April 3, 2016
This is a book to read slowly as there is a lot going on.
Tess was born in a commune which had burnt down injuring her mother. They escaped and 13 years later the family is now grieving with the death of the youngster sister. There is also the loss of bees, the loss of traditional family, ecological dangers from fracking, mine run off and genetically modified plants. There is also Tess's father lost at her birth but possibly found when a skeleton is discovered.
The books has plenty of themes with prose that is quite vibrant.
Tess was born in a commune which had burnt down injuring her mother. They escaped and 13 years later the family is now grieving with the death of the youngster sister. There is also the loss of bees, the loss of traditional family, ecological dangers from fracking, mine run off and genetically modified plants. There is also Tess's father lost at her birth but possibly found when a skeleton is discovered.
The books has plenty of themes with prose that is quite vibrant.
March 21, 2016
Chosen for the cover.
I found it difficult getting through this book. It was an interesting premise, but the lack of quotation marks and the changes between timelines and past/present tense made it confusing to follow. There also seemed to be quite a few events that repeated themselves. The characters were also confusing, as there was no real differentiation between them, they all had the same voice and personality. I struggled to the end but I wanted more from this story.
I found it difficult getting through this book. It was an interesting premise, but the lack of quotation marks and the changes between timelines and past/present tense made it confusing to follow. There also seemed to be quite a few events that repeated themselves. The characters were also confusing, as there was no real differentiation between them, they all had the same voice and personality. I struggled to the end but I wanted more from this story.
September 13, 2017
What made Pip, their youngest girl, so gravely ill? Why have Stefan's bees vanished from their hives? Evangeline, his wife, where does she disappear to each day? Tess, their eldest, has not uttered a word in 6 months. Behind the Müller family's small farm stand mountains denuded of forest, a line of gas rigs, toxic run-off. This novel of loss, silence and secrets, a failed commune burned to the ground, is highly deserving of the 2016 Victorian Premier's Award.
May 15, 2018
A very beautiful book. Not what I'd sought out when I first picked it up, but I could not stop myself night after night. Glorious, poetic prose.
May 18, 2021
Set in a rural community, the former site of a commune, now suffering from industrial pollution and changing weather patterns, The World Without Us follows one family and a newcomer, as they struggle to come to terms with their past, the death of loved ones, and their need for hope. An atmospheric, poetic novel with a leisurely pace, The World Without Us is about loss, grief, secrets, and place.
October 10, 2020
Beautiful and poignant
October 23, 2023
An unusual setting and an atmospheric read. I read it electronically and am not sure whether I really get I to books in the same way as when I am holding the book itself.
April 26, 2018
Not bad, not great. Not recommended. Unless you like bee stories about hippy communes and grief. Not quite sure what the point was because it didn't really settle on anything or resolve anything nicely.
October 27, 2016
The World Without Us is a novel about people who are all desperately sad and wanting in some way, from the Muller family who have recently lost their youngest daughter to cancer while the eldest has stopped speaking, to Tom Tucker struggling with depression and a fatalistic view of the world, and to Jim Parker, a newly arrived school teacher from the city who is escaping his own troubles. When Stefan Muller finds a car wreck and human remains on his property, things are brought to a head.
I found Mireille Juchau's novel inviting and engaging. I was happy to curl up in the world she invoked and felt sorry for leaving it. However, I did find the ending a little frustrating and confusing, the mystery and its solution unclear.
The characters are vivid and complex, mostly sympathetic and always interesting. However, I admit to noting that Evangeline, the matriarch of the Muller family, was "VERY FRUSTRATING" (yes, all in caps) and I found myself bored with Jim Parker. I also felt that Juchau was setting the reader up to dislike Sylvie, Jim's ex, as someone shallow and selfish before showing that she too was suffering and ultimately sympathetic.
Altogether, though, the novel was wonderfully enjoyable.
I found Mireille Juchau's novel inviting and engaging. I was happy to curl up in the world she invoked and felt sorry for leaving it. However, I did find the ending a little frustrating and confusing, the mystery and its solution unclear.
The characters are vivid and complex, mostly sympathetic and always interesting. However, I admit to noting that Evangeline, the matriarch of the Muller family, was "VERY FRUSTRATING" (yes, all in caps) and I found myself bored with Jim Parker. I also felt that Juchau was setting the reader up to dislike Sylvie, Jim's ex, as someone shallow and selfish before showing that she too was suffering and ultimately sympathetic.
Altogether, though, the novel was wonderfully enjoyable.
June 14, 2016
The Muller family are a family in mourning. In mourning for the daughter, the sister they lost two years ago. Stefan tends to his disappearing bees, Evangeline to the river and Tess to the world of silence. When the remains of a truck and the bones of a skeleton are discovered on their farm the past returns, secrets uncovered and the truth finally revealed.
This was a beautifully written and wholly mesmerising novel. The characters depicted with such care and attention evoking empathy and emotion in the reader.
It was a novel of renewal as each found a way to come to terms with the past and to live with the future.
A novel that further empathsies the depth to be found in Australian literature,
Stunning.
This was a beautifully written and wholly mesmerising novel. The characters depicted with such care and attention evoking empathy and emotion in the reader.
It was a novel of renewal as each found a way to come to terms with the past and to live with the future.
A novel that further empathsies the depth to be found in Australian literature,
Stunning.
August 29, 2015
I initially had trouble getting into this book but soon enough fell in love with it. I loved the lyrical prose that was integrated and the varied perspectives that were vital in gaining an understanding of the mysteries presented in this book. Rural Australia comes alive in these pages, drawing you into the naturalistic theme of bees and their hives which illustrates the values of family, community and the need to maintain them in the struggles of identity and moving on from the past.
NOTE: This is a copy of my review of the book on the Dymocks Website under the username 'The Bookworm'.
NOTE: This is a copy of my review of the book on the Dymocks Website under the username 'The Bookworm'.
January 15, 2016
This book was originally a cover buy for me - it is a beautiful looking book. The intertwining stories are expertly written each with their own highs and lows, intrigue and issues that draw you in. The imagery is elaborate and effective painting the colours of the people and the landscape. Lastly Juchau's relunctance to adhere to traditional speech requirements create the atmosphere of silence surrounding the Müller family and also emphasising how we each feel in our depleted world.
A wonderful read.
A wonderful read.
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