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Small Mercies
A husband and wife living on a severely drought-afflicted property take a brief break, only to find that their relationship is parched, too.
After enduring months of extreme drought on their modest freehold, farming couple Dimple and Ruthie face uncertain times on more than one front. Ruthie receives the news every woman dreads. Meanwhile, a wealthy landowner, Wally Oliver, appears on the local radio station, warning small farmers like Dimple and Ruthie that they are doomed, that the sooner they leave the land to large operators like him, the better. Bracing for a fight on all fronts, the couple decide to take a road trip to confront Oliver. Along the way, not only is their resolve tested, but their relationship as well.
Desperate not to dwell on the past but to face up to the future, Dimple and Ruthie make a crucial decision they soon regret. And when the storm clouds finally roll in across the land they love, there’s more than the rain to contend with.
Told with enormous heart, Small Mercies is a tender love story. It is a story of a couple who feel they must change to endure, and of the land that is as important as their presence on it.
After enduring months of extreme drought on their modest freehold, farming couple Dimple and Ruthie face uncertain times on more than one front. Ruthie receives the news every woman dreads. Meanwhile, a wealthy landowner, Wally Oliver, appears on the local radio station, warning small farmers like Dimple and Ruthie that they are doomed, that the sooner they leave the land to large operators like him, the better. Bracing for a fight on all fronts, the couple decide to take a road trip to confront Oliver. Along the way, not only is their resolve tested, but their relationship as well.
Desperate not to dwell on the past but to face up to the future, Dimple and Ruthie make a crucial decision they soon regret. And when the storm clouds finally roll in across the land they love, there’s more than the rain to contend with.
Told with enormous heart, Small Mercies is a tender love story. It is a story of a couple who feel they must change to endure, and of the land that is as important as their presence on it.
- GenresFiction
208 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 31, 2020
3 people are currently reading
116 people want to read
About the author
Richard Anderson
127 books7 followersThere is more than one author in the Goodreads catalog with this name. This entry is for Richard ^1 Anderson. This is a dumping profile.
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
April 11, 2020
4★
“If you are capable of acknowledging that you only live once, then you have to at least consider an easier option. Don’t you?”
OK, this one is the real deal. I have little patience for the rural romances that try to work some lessons about “the land” into their narrative to give them some semblance of credibility. They don’t. They come across sounding teachy and preachy (technical terms, I know).
Dillon “Dimple” and Ruth Travers could have been our neighbours when we were farming. Anderson tells their story simply and well. They run a mixed property with crops and cattle, and their two grown sons have left home for jobs in the city. But the boys love this place, the only home they've ever known.
It's the middle of The Dry, which I capitalise just to indicate it's a longstanding drought, not just a seasonal one. After 25 years on the land, both love what they do but are exhausted. The book opens with a scene familiar to me and with a radio broadcast equally familiar to me.
“Dimple helped 3027 to her feet. The cow was too heavy for him to lift, but if he held the base of her tail he could steady her as her weak legs wobbled and found their place. Alongside, her tan, soft-eyed calf probed impatiently, nudging the flank, his tongue like a long, flat, rippling leech, survival its only agenda.
There was a bloke on the ute radio saying confidently that drought could be a good thing because it removed the bottom rung of farmers.
‘Wally frigging Oliver,’ Dimple muttered to the cow. ‘Trust an Oliver to insist on survival of the fittest.’”
First, the tag number. That’s real. Some cows have names, most don’t. I could ask my son about 788, and he would remember the powerful, belligerent, stubborn red Droughtmaster cow who raised great calves but would charge a working dog when she thought they were too pushy. Fair enough, but when the dog jumped on the back of the quad bike for protection by us, it was kind of scary! Ah, 788. But I digress.
Second, helping to lift the cow by holding the base of the tail. It’s tricky, but it helps them find their feet. During drought, they get weak, and after calving, even weaker. But if you can get them up on their feet and feed and water them where they are, they can come good in a few days.
Third, the shock jock looking forward to weeding out small farmers. Yep. Let the big agro-corporations take over, big machinery, fewer people, profits – um – overseas investors? Or stashed away in the Cayman Islands? Great for the country – not.
So much for my own teachy-preachy moment. Ruthie is waiting for a medical diagnosis and decides she wants to take on this Wally Oliver guy face-to-face and tell him from one small farmer to one big farmer what she thinks of his removing “the bottom rung of farmers”.
“Dimple was quiet. This was not the sort of thing Ruthie normally did. But what Ruthie did wasn’t always normal, and when she set her mind to something, it was a big ship to turn around.”
They plan an overnight trip, travelling through parched country to a small town to stay in the local pub, and thus begins a change in the tone of their conversations. They are honest with each other.
“The horizon receded as the country started to flatten out. There was no green on the side of the road here. In places, there were bright-green crops in circles under centre pivots. The fresh, thick crops in an almost moonscape gave the sense of science fiction.
‘Always hard to like an irrigator,’ Dimple said, and meant it.
‘You’d do it if you could.’
‘Probably.’”
See? Honest. Dimple would love to be able to afford bigger, better machinery, (even irrigation – gasp!) and Ruthie would love to travel, go out for coffee, hit a gallery or two. But they make do with staying at the local pub in the small country down near Wally Oliver’s big landholding. Which leads me to the fourth true thing.
Fourth, I find that when we travel and stay in unfamiliar surroundings, we are often inspired to talk about different things, maybe open up a bit. The routine of home tends to fall into patterns, but new places spark new topics and all those what-ifs that we may have kept buried.
This is what happens to Dimple and Ruthie. The only part I found a little difficult to accept was how quickly the conversation changed and how the dynamic between them changed in one way but not in another. Were they going to drift apart . . . or not?
It’s a good story, well-written, and with characters I liked. I thought Anderson handled the tricky job well of getting into both their heads and telling it in the third person. Nobody is right and nobody is wrong, but choices are hard when the times they are a-changin’.
This is very much a story about these people, not some diatribe about governments But as I write this, during the world’s Covid 19 lockdown, I wonder if more people will be motivated to step up, like Ruthie and Dimple, to confront the greedy governments who have destabilised health systems and community services in order to support huge corporations and build an economy instead of building a society. Thus ends my own teachy preaching. :)
Thanks to NetGalley and Scribe for the preview copy I've enjoyed.
“If you are capable of acknowledging that you only live once, then you have to at least consider an easier option. Don’t you?”
OK, this one is the real deal. I have little patience for the rural romances that try to work some lessons about “the land” into their narrative to give them some semblance of credibility. They don’t. They come across sounding teachy and preachy (technical terms, I know).
Dillon “Dimple” and Ruth Travers could have been our neighbours when we were farming. Anderson tells their story simply and well. They run a mixed property with crops and cattle, and their two grown sons have left home for jobs in the city. But the boys love this place, the only home they've ever known.
It's the middle of The Dry, which I capitalise just to indicate it's a longstanding drought, not just a seasonal one. After 25 years on the land, both love what they do but are exhausted. The book opens with a scene familiar to me and with a radio broadcast equally familiar to me.
“Dimple helped 3027 to her feet. The cow was too heavy for him to lift, but if he held the base of her tail he could steady her as her weak legs wobbled and found their place. Alongside, her tan, soft-eyed calf probed impatiently, nudging the flank, his tongue like a long, flat, rippling leech, survival its only agenda.
There was a bloke on the ute radio saying confidently that drought could be a good thing because it removed the bottom rung of farmers.
‘Wally frigging Oliver,’ Dimple muttered to the cow. ‘Trust an Oliver to insist on survival of the fittest.’”
First, the tag number. That’s real. Some cows have names, most don’t. I could ask my son about 788, and he would remember the powerful, belligerent, stubborn red Droughtmaster cow who raised great calves but would charge a working dog when she thought they were too pushy. Fair enough, but when the dog jumped on the back of the quad bike for protection by us, it was kind of scary! Ah, 788. But I digress.
Second, helping to lift the cow by holding the base of the tail. It’s tricky, but it helps them find their feet. During drought, they get weak, and after calving, even weaker. But if you can get them up on their feet and feed and water them where they are, they can come good in a few days.
Third, the shock jock looking forward to weeding out small farmers. Yep. Let the big agro-corporations take over, big machinery, fewer people, profits – um – overseas investors? Or stashed away in the Cayman Islands? Great for the country – not.
So much for my own teachy-preachy moment. Ruthie is waiting for a medical diagnosis and decides she wants to take on this Wally Oliver guy face-to-face and tell him from one small farmer to one big farmer what she thinks of his removing “the bottom rung of farmers”.
“Dimple was quiet. This was not the sort of thing Ruthie normally did. But what Ruthie did wasn’t always normal, and when she set her mind to something, it was a big ship to turn around.”
They plan an overnight trip, travelling through parched country to a small town to stay in the local pub, and thus begins a change in the tone of their conversations. They are honest with each other.
“The horizon receded as the country started to flatten out. There was no green on the side of the road here. In places, there were bright-green crops in circles under centre pivots. The fresh, thick crops in an almost moonscape gave the sense of science fiction.
‘Always hard to like an irrigator,’ Dimple said, and meant it.
‘You’d do it if you could.’
‘Probably.’”
See? Honest. Dimple would love to be able to afford bigger, better machinery, (even irrigation – gasp!) and Ruthie would love to travel, go out for coffee, hit a gallery or two. But they make do with staying at the local pub in the small country down near Wally Oliver’s big landholding. Which leads me to the fourth true thing.
Fourth, I find that when we travel and stay in unfamiliar surroundings, we are often inspired to talk about different things, maybe open up a bit. The routine of home tends to fall into patterns, but new places spark new topics and all those what-ifs that we may have kept buried.
This is what happens to Dimple and Ruthie. The only part I found a little difficult to accept was how quickly the conversation changed and how the dynamic between them changed in one way but not in another. Were they going to drift apart . . . or not?
It’s a good story, well-written, and with characters I liked. I thought Anderson handled the tricky job well of getting into both their heads and telling it in the third person. Nobody is right and nobody is wrong, but choices are hard when the times they are a-changin’.
This is very much a story about these people, not some diatribe about governments But as I write this, during the world’s Covid 19 lockdown, I wonder if more people will be motivated to step up, like Ruthie and Dimple, to confront the greedy governments who have destabilised health systems and community services in order to support huge corporations and build an economy instead of building a society. Thus ends my own teachy preaching. :)
Thanks to NetGalley and Scribe for the preview copy I've enjoyed.
December 26, 2020
Months of severe drought weighed heavily upon Dimple and Ruthie. Living on the land certainly always has its challenges which the couple knows only too well. While they felt that things could not get worse, Ruthie receives news that no woman wants to receive.
Small Mercies by Aussie author Richard Anderson is a well written story of the everyday struggles farmers are faced with from year to year and how these pressures can affect relationships. Recommended.
Small Mercies by Aussie author Richard Anderson is a well written story of the everyday struggles farmers are faced with from year to year and how these pressures can affect relationships. Recommended.
July 13, 2020
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Small Mercies by Richard Anderson. (2020).
After enduring months of drought on their modest farm, Dimple and Ruthie face uncertain times. Ruthie has received bad news about her health. When a wealthy landowner, Wally, makes comments on the radio that small farmers are doomed and they should leave the land to big operators like himself, they decide to take a road trip to confront him. Along the way both their resolve and relationship are tested. Looking to the future, the couple make a crucial decision they soon regret. And when the storm clouds finally come, there's more than the rain to contend with.
If you asked me to describe this book in one word, the one that immediately comes to mind is 'honest'. It just felt so honest, so believable and so realistic. It's not a long book, and it's an easy read. I don't live on or near a farm but it felt like Dimple and Ruthie were neighbours, or someone you would know. For me this book was a good reality check: here I am stressing about rain coming for various personal reasons, meanwhile Australia has so many farmers that are absolutely desperate for rain to keep their livelihoods surviving. The other big concept for this book is Ruthie having some thoughts and forcing Dimple to question if maybe their relationship isn't as rock solid and as happy as they both thought it was. Again, something that sounded utterly believable for a couple that had been together for so many years.
Overall, I wouldn't say I loved this book but it was a likeable read and I can see why it affected other readers deeply.
*www.facebook.com/onewomansbbr
Small Mercies by Richard Anderson. (2020).
After enduring months of drought on their modest farm, Dimple and Ruthie face uncertain times. Ruthie has received bad news about her health. When a wealthy landowner, Wally, makes comments on the radio that small farmers are doomed and they should leave the land to big operators like himself, they decide to take a road trip to confront him. Along the way both their resolve and relationship are tested. Looking to the future, the couple make a crucial decision they soon regret. And when the storm clouds finally come, there's more than the rain to contend with.
If you asked me to describe this book in one word, the one that immediately comes to mind is 'honest'. It just felt so honest, so believable and so realistic. It's not a long book, and it's an easy read. I don't live on or near a farm but it felt like Dimple and Ruthie were neighbours, or someone you would know. For me this book was a good reality check: here I am stressing about rain coming for various personal reasons, meanwhile Australia has so many farmers that are absolutely desperate for rain to keep their livelihoods surviving. The other big concept for this book is Ruthie having some thoughts and forcing Dimple to question if maybe their relationship isn't as rock solid and as happy as they both thought it was. Again, something that sounded utterly believable for a couple that had been together for so many years.
Overall, I wouldn't say I loved this book but it was a likeable read and I can see why it affected other readers deeply.
January 3, 2022
“By mid-morning, the sun was out, hot and vengeful, lifting the moisture. In the humidity, Dimple wanted to drag the moisture back and push it into the ground. But you could only accept the weather, not make demands of it.”
Small Mercies is the third novel by Australian author, Richard Anderson. Ruth Travers has received a worrying letter from her GP. Maybe that distorted her reasoning a bit, because what she hears on the radio while helping Dimple with the cows on their Fresh Well farm has spiked her anger enough to act. Wally Oliver, a young, rich farmer with a massive land-holding, shares his (insensitive, to Ruthie’s mind) opinion that the drought will weed out the losers. (He later makes a thought-provoking parallel between the first peoples during white settlement and the failing farmers in today’s world.)
“Was it not enough for people to suffer drought without being told they should suffer? That their suffering was just part of an economic equation?” Ruthie tells Dimple she wants to tell this big farmer the adverse effects his words will have. She understands that “All big farmers believe in survival of the fittest because they think they’re the fittest, when really they’re simply the fattest. They can stand to lose a bit of lard.”
They take a break from their third-generation farm to travel to Wally Oliver’s farm near Willi. It might not have any effect, but it will make Ruthie feel better. As to her medical matter, Ruthie is momentarily tempted by the idea of denial, but acknowledges that’s not really her, though she can surely take a short reprieve from it before she has to act. Their time away starts with an angry mission, becomes a little vacation then morphs into something that Ruthie finds rather stimulating but just makes Dimple heartsick.
Anderson’s credentials as a second-generation northern NSW farmer lend authenticity to his portrayal of the farmer’s lot: he easily conveys the sense of it all being something between a balancing act and a guessing game, having to predict the weather and gamble on whether to plant, whether to buy or sell stock. “Optimism was all you ever really had. It was the truth of farming. You had to get up in the morning knowing that, someday soon, things would be better.”
The farmer’s sense of responsibility and care for his animals is clearly expressed when Dimple finds one of cows dead in the paddock; he counts the monetary cost but also “…he knew her. There were too few cows left for him not to know her: an Angus-cross with a fine coat and a neat udder, who always produced one of the better calves. She was a good servant: never the rogue; never the fence jumper; never one to kick you or rush you in the yards.”
This is not an action-packed rural drama, but a sedately-paced read, full of wonderful characters, evocative prose and topical issues – it is a read to be savoured. Anderson’s protagonists clearly care deeply about each other even if their communication is often less than ideal. They work well in tandem, having achieved a harmony and generally showing consideration of each other’s needs. Perhaps Ruthie underestimates Dimple’s perception of her emotions, but their banter is enjoyable and often laugh-out-loud funny. Particularly relevant and deeply moving, this brilliant novel is perhaps Anderson’s best yet.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by Scribe Publications.
Merged review:
“By mid-morning, the sun was out, hot and vengeful, lifting the moisture. In the humidity, Dimple wanted to drag the moisture back and push it into the ground. But you could only accept the weather, not make demands of it.”
Small Mercies is the third novel by Australian author, Richard Anderson. The audio version is narrated by Nicholas Osmond. Ruth Travers has received a worrying letter from her GP. Maybe that distorted her reasoning a bit, because what she hears on the radio while helping Dimple with the cows on their Fresh Well farm has spiked her anger enough to act. Wally Oliver, a young, rich farmer with a massive land-holding, shares his (insensitive, to Ruthie’s mind) opinion that the drought will weed out the losers. (He later makes a thought-provoking parallel between the first peoples during white settlement and the failing farmers in today’s world.)
“Was it not enough for people to suffer drought without being told they should suffer? That their suffering was just part of an economic equation?” Ruthie tells Dimple she wants to tell this big farmer the adverse effects his words will have. She understands that “All big farmers believe in survival of the fittest because they think they’re the fittest, when really they’re simply the fattest. They can stand to lose a bit of lard.”
They take a break from their third-generation farm to travel to Wally Oliver’s farm near Willi. It might not have any effect, but it will make Ruthie feel better. As to her medical matter, Ruthie is momentarily tempted by the idea of denial, but acknowledges that’s not really her, though she can surely take a short reprieve from it before she has to act. Their time away starts with an angry mission, becomes a little vacation then morphs into something that Ruthie finds rather stimulating but just makes Dimple heartsick.
Anderson’s credentials as a second-generation northern NSW farmer lend authenticity to his portrayal of the farmer’s lot: he easily conveys the sense of it all being something between a balancing act and a guessing game, having to predict the weather and gamble on whether to plant, whether to buy or sell stock. “Optimism was all you ever really had. It was the truth of farming. You had to get up in the morning knowing that, someday soon, things would be better.”
The farmer’s sense of responsibility and care for his animals is clearly expressed when Dimple finds one of cows dead in the paddock; he counts the monetary cost but also “…he knew her. There were too few cows left for him not to know her: an Angus-cross with a fine coat and a neat udder, who always produced one of the better calves. She was a good servant: never the rogue; never the fence jumper; never one to kick you or rush you in the yards.”
This is not an action-packed rural drama, but a sedately-paced read, full of wonderful characters, evocative prose and topical issues – it is a read to be savoured. Anderson’s protagonists clearly care deeply about each other even if their communication is often less than ideal. They work well in tandem, having achieved a harmony and generally showing consideration of each other’s needs. Perhaps Ruthie underestimates Dimple’s perception of her emotions, but their banter is enjoyable and often laugh-out-loud funny. Particularly relevant and deeply moving, this brilliant novel is perhaps Anderson’s best yet.
Small Mercies is the third novel by Australian author, Richard Anderson. Ruth Travers has received a worrying letter from her GP. Maybe that distorted her reasoning a bit, because what she hears on the radio while helping Dimple with the cows on their Fresh Well farm has spiked her anger enough to act. Wally Oliver, a young, rich farmer with a massive land-holding, shares his (insensitive, to Ruthie’s mind) opinion that the drought will weed out the losers. (He later makes a thought-provoking parallel between the first peoples during white settlement and the failing farmers in today’s world.)
“Was it not enough for people to suffer drought without being told they should suffer? That their suffering was just part of an economic equation?” Ruthie tells Dimple she wants to tell this big farmer the adverse effects his words will have. She understands that “All big farmers believe in survival of the fittest because they think they’re the fittest, when really they’re simply the fattest. They can stand to lose a bit of lard.”
They take a break from their third-generation farm to travel to Wally Oliver’s farm near Willi. It might not have any effect, but it will make Ruthie feel better. As to her medical matter, Ruthie is momentarily tempted by the idea of denial, but acknowledges that’s not really her, though she can surely take a short reprieve from it before she has to act. Their time away starts with an angry mission, becomes a little vacation then morphs into something that Ruthie finds rather stimulating but just makes Dimple heartsick.
Anderson’s credentials as a second-generation northern NSW farmer lend authenticity to his portrayal of the farmer’s lot: he easily conveys the sense of it all being something between a balancing act and a guessing game, having to predict the weather and gamble on whether to plant, whether to buy or sell stock. “Optimism was all you ever really had. It was the truth of farming. You had to get up in the morning knowing that, someday soon, things would be better.”
The farmer’s sense of responsibility and care for his animals is clearly expressed when Dimple finds one of cows dead in the paddock; he counts the monetary cost but also “…he knew her. There were too few cows left for him not to know her: an Angus-cross with a fine coat and a neat udder, who always produced one of the better calves. She was a good servant: never the rogue; never the fence jumper; never one to kick you or rush you in the yards.”
This is not an action-packed rural drama, but a sedately-paced read, full of wonderful characters, evocative prose and topical issues – it is a read to be savoured. Anderson’s protagonists clearly care deeply about each other even if their communication is often less than ideal. They work well in tandem, having achieved a harmony and generally showing consideration of each other’s needs. Perhaps Ruthie underestimates Dimple’s perception of her emotions, but their banter is enjoyable and often laugh-out-loud funny. Particularly relevant and deeply moving, this brilliant novel is perhaps Anderson’s best yet.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by Scribe Publications.
Merged review:
“By mid-morning, the sun was out, hot and vengeful, lifting the moisture. In the humidity, Dimple wanted to drag the moisture back and push it into the ground. But you could only accept the weather, not make demands of it.”
Small Mercies is the third novel by Australian author, Richard Anderson. The audio version is narrated by Nicholas Osmond. Ruth Travers has received a worrying letter from her GP. Maybe that distorted her reasoning a bit, because what she hears on the radio while helping Dimple with the cows on their Fresh Well farm has spiked her anger enough to act. Wally Oliver, a young, rich farmer with a massive land-holding, shares his (insensitive, to Ruthie’s mind) opinion that the drought will weed out the losers. (He later makes a thought-provoking parallel between the first peoples during white settlement and the failing farmers in today’s world.)
“Was it not enough for people to suffer drought without being told they should suffer? That their suffering was just part of an economic equation?” Ruthie tells Dimple she wants to tell this big farmer the adverse effects his words will have. She understands that “All big farmers believe in survival of the fittest because they think they’re the fittest, when really they’re simply the fattest. They can stand to lose a bit of lard.”
They take a break from their third-generation farm to travel to Wally Oliver’s farm near Willi. It might not have any effect, but it will make Ruthie feel better. As to her medical matter, Ruthie is momentarily tempted by the idea of denial, but acknowledges that’s not really her, though she can surely take a short reprieve from it before she has to act. Their time away starts with an angry mission, becomes a little vacation then morphs into something that Ruthie finds rather stimulating but just makes Dimple heartsick.
Anderson’s credentials as a second-generation northern NSW farmer lend authenticity to his portrayal of the farmer’s lot: he easily conveys the sense of it all being something between a balancing act and a guessing game, having to predict the weather and gamble on whether to plant, whether to buy or sell stock. “Optimism was all you ever really had. It was the truth of farming. You had to get up in the morning knowing that, someday soon, things would be better.”
The farmer’s sense of responsibility and care for his animals is clearly expressed when Dimple finds one of cows dead in the paddock; he counts the monetary cost but also “…he knew her. There were too few cows left for him not to know her: an Angus-cross with a fine coat and a neat udder, who always produced one of the better calves. She was a good servant: never the rogue; never the fence jumper; never one to kick you or rush you in the yards.”
This is not an action-packed rural drama, but a sedately-paced read, full of wonderful characters, evocative prose and topical issues – it is a read to be savoured. Anderson’s protagonists clearly care deeply about each other even if their communication is often less than ideal. They work well in tandem, having achieved a harmony and generally showing consideration of each other’s needs. Perhaps Ruthie underestimates Dimple’s perception of her emotions, but their banter is enjoyable and often laugh-out-loud funny. Particularly relevant and deeply moving, this brilliant novel is perhaps Anderson’s best yet.
March 20, 2020
Ruthie and Dimple have weathered many highs and lows over their decades of marriage, but a severe drought and the potential sale of their farm that has been in the family for three generations puts them to the test. Richard Anderson's novel is written with knowledge of what he speaks, as he has been running a cattle farm in northern New South Wales that has been in his family for two generations. This familial connection to the land plays a large part in what is important in love and life. The prose is naturalistic but written with great heart, and the two central characters come to life vividly, each having their due, presenting their own side.
March 30, 2020
My View:
Richard Anderson does not disappoint! What a versatile writer able to easily cross the divide of mystery /suspense (Retribution, Boxed) to evocative small-town drama set in realistic physical, economical, moral and political landscapes. This was an engaging and thought provoking read, storytelling at its best, nuanced and credible.
Anderson writes Australian outback with a clarity that comes from personal experience. “Richard Anderson is a second-generation farmer from northern New South Wales. He has been running a beef-cattle farm for twenty-five years, but has also worked as a miner and had a stint on the local council.” (GoodReads author page). The narrative feels biographical, I am sure there are elements of Richard’s own experience of life events, big and small, of farming and local politics that inform his writing. It is in the subtleties of these details of everyday life that Anderson’s writing soars. You can easily place yourself in the setting, in the emotions, in the relationships.
Against this backdrop of hardship and drought a finely drawn story of enduing love is exposed. We are privy to the self-talk and the situations, good and difficult, that all relationships face in varying degrees and we hang in there with them as they struggle to move forward in very difficult circumstances. I really like that this narrative is about mature age, long term married, likable characters, complete with wrinkles and a good dose of humanness. Anderson has taken such care in his portrayal of this couple that we feel privileged to know them and want them to thrive.
This is a timely written narrative with many contemporary social, economic, and personal issues that could be playing out live in a country or regional town near you. This is great reading. I loved it.
Richard Anderson does not disappoint! What a versatile writer able to easily cross the divide of mystery /suspense (Retribution, Boxed) to evocative small-town drama set in realistic physical, economical, moral and political landscapes. This was an engaging and thought provoking read, storytelling at its best, nuanced and credible.
Anderson writes Australian outback with a clarity that comes from personal experience. “Richard Anderson is a second-generation farmer from northern New South Wales. He has been running a beef-cattle farm for twenty-five years, but has also worked as a miner and had a stint on the local council.” (GoodReads author page). The narrative feels biographical, I am sure there are elements of Richard’s own experience of life events, big and small, of farming and local politics that inform his writing. It is in the subtleties of these details of everyday life that Anderson’s writing soars. You can easily place yourself in the setting, in the emotions, in the relationships.
Against this backdrop of hardship and drought a finely drawn story of enduing love is exposed. We are privy to the self-talk and the situations, good and difficult, that all relationships face in varying degrees and we hang in there with them as they struggle to move forward in very difficult circumstances. I really like that this narrative is about mature age, long term married, likable characters, complete with wrinkles and a good dose of humanness. Anderson has taken such care in his portrayal of this couple that we feel privileged to know them and want them to thrive.
This is a timely written narrative with many contemporary social, economic, and personal issues that could be playing out live in a country or regional town near you. This is great reading. I loved it.
April 26, 2020
Perfect little gem of a very contemporary book. Well written, well EDITED, real people and not a murder in sight! (Almost an extra star for a dry country setting). The characters could be my neighbours, as although I live in a small ex mining settlement, in the outback, and our nearest town is 205 klms away,the station folk, in the surround area, could be this family. Loved it.
Read
August 11, 2020A fine-grained study of a marriage and a land in crisis … A wonderful book.
Jock Serong
An undemanding read for those who enjoy human stories with a rural setting, Small Mercies is the tale of a man and a woman who have weathered many trials by taking each other for granted, and who come to realise that familiarity doesn’t necessarily mean they know everything they should about one another.
Lindy Jones, Books+Publishing
This was an engaging and thought-provoking read, storytelling at its best, nuanced and credible.
Carol Seeley, Reading, Writing and Riesling
Wholly engaging — a character-driven novel where the unforgiving Australian climate is an unpredictable character as well … Small Mercies isn’t just a window onto the crisis on the land. It’s the love story of an older couple too, something we don’t often see in fiction.
Lisa Hill, ANZ LitLovers
Small Mercies by Richard Anderson is one of those books that should be mandatory reading for all Australians ... Anderson writes in an engaging manner, with just enough humour to lift the black to grey, without attempting in anyway to gloss over the seriousness of the subject matter ... Moving, perceptive and very readable.
Karen Chisholm, The Blurb
This engaging story ... is one to remember for its credibility and timeliness.
Christopher Bantick, The Weekly Times
This novel is a perceptive study of marriage, of family farming, and of women’s lives, as well as a sombre look at the people in Australian society who have money and power, and at the way they wield those things to their own ends.
The Age
As the novel moves along, the true-to-life conversations of the couple show their relationship is drying out like the land ... We share their shock and feel their fear of longer droughts, hotter temperatures, and how the rich and powerful work the system. .5 STARS
Judith Grace, Good Reading
Anderson’s emotional intelligence is acute. Small Mercies adds literary understanding to the stocks of the Australian rural novel.
Ed Wright, The Australian
Jock Serong
An undemanding read for those who enjoy human stories with a rural setting, Small Mercies is the tale of a man and a woman who have weathered many trials by taking each other for granted, and who come to realise that familiarity doesn’t necessarily mean they know everything they should about one another.
Lindy Jones, Books+Publishing
This was an engaging and thought-provoking read, storytelling at its best, nuanced and credible.
Carol Seeley, Reading, Writing and Riesling
Wholly engaging — a character-driven novel where the unforgiving Australian climate is an unpredictable character as well … Small Mercies isn’t just a window onto the crisis on the land. It’s the love story of an older couple too, something we don’t often see in fiction.
Lisa Hill, ANZ LitLovers
Small Mercies by Richard Anderson is one of those books that should be mandatory reading for all Australians ... Anderson writes in an engaging manner, with just enough humour to lift the black to grey, without attempting in anyway to gloss over the seriousness of the subject matter ... Moving, perceptive and very readable.
Karen Chisholm, The Blurb
This engaging story ... is one to remember for its credibility and timeliness.
Christopher Bantick, The Weekly Times
This novel is a perceptive study of marriage, of family farming, and of women’s lives, as well as a sombre look at the people in Australian society who have money and power, and at the way they wield those things to their own ends.
The Age
As the novel moves along, the true-to-life conversations of the couple show their relationship is drying out like the land ... We share their shock and feel their fear of longer droughts, hotter temperatures, and how the rich and powerful work the system. .5 STARS
Judith Grace, Good Reading
Anderson’s emotional intelligence is acute. Small Mercies adds literary understanding to the stocks of the Australian rural novel.
Ed Wright, The Australian
March 12, 2020
SMALL MERCIES by Richard Anderson is one of those books that should be mandatory reading for all Australians. I certainly hope somebody in education circles SERIOUSLY contemplates putting it into English syllabuses as I don't think most city based Australian's have a clue about the mind games that drought inflicts on people and places.
I also hope there's not many rural dwellers in Australia who don't love the place that they live, and feel some responsibility for it's health and welfare. It's hard to explain to anybody who hasn't experienced the feeling - but the impact of living in drought - something that's totally uncontrollable - does weird things to your brain, and the more frequent it becomes the worse the pressure. There's such an overwhelming sense of responsibility for stock, crops, your family's personal welfare and survival, and in most cases, the natural environment around you. You live up close and in daily direct contact with that environment when you live in rural locations - even if you don't articulate or acknowledge the closeness it's always there. Seasons, and weather changes are obvious, the limits on resources like water on a daily basis, and the constant need to manage all resources carefully is never ending. You see the changing treescapes, the erosion and the sheer lack of water in the world. You can't avoid the way the soil around you dries, cracks, turns to concrete, and the way that bare soil inevitably becomes airborne dust. That dust in everything, on everything, that constant sense of dry choking, dirty, dusty, exhausted air. The constant wariness of fire, the myriad of daily decisions, the awful sense of your responsibility over what lives and what is moved on, or dies. Every. Single. Day.
SMALL MERCIES expresses so much of the effect that sort of living has on people. The damage that having to live a life on hold causes, the consequences of stress on a property and a farming couple, which up until reading this book, I hadn't considered as a form of PTSD. People living in that sort of constant tension make odd decisions, do odd things, react poorly, and sadly, often times pull away from each other, or, if they are luckier, smarter or just more bloody-minded, find a way to adapt and come together.
Set around the personal stories of Dimple and Ruthie, a couple struggling to keep the family farm going in the midst of ongoing, never-ending drought, it's heartening to see them get their backs up when a wealthy landowner pontificates that small farmers like them are doomed, and they should just go away, and leave agriculture to the large operators like him. Their backs are up enough to send them off on a physical journey to confront him about that statement, but it's the emotional journey that this triggers that is the important bit.
For a novel that covers a lot of territory (physical and emotional) in a pretty short space of time, SMALL MERCIES isn't heavy going though. Anderson writes in an engaging manner, with just enough humour to lift the black to grey, without attempting in anyway to gloss over the seriousness of the subject matter. He even manages to weave in a very realistic love story, of two people who, when the chips are down, find out that they do really need each other.
Moving, perceptive and very readable SMALL MERCIES is populated by real and accessible characters, set in the topical landscape of drought-ravaged rural Australia. Recently I've heard tell of a Canberra Parliamentary Bookclub. I'd suggest we all start recommending this as an entry they should be reading.
https://www.austcrimefiction.org/revi...
I also hope there's not many rural dwellers in Australia who don't love the place that they live, and feel some responsibility for it's health and welfare. It's hard to explain to anybody who hasn't experienced the feeling - but the impact of living in drought - something that's totally uncontrollable - does weird things to your brain, and the more frequent it becomes the worse the pressure. There's such an overwhelming sense of responsibility for stock, crops, your family's personal welfare and survival, and in most cases, the natural environment around you. You live up close and in daily direct contact with that environment when you live in rural locations - even if you don't articulate or acknowledge the closeness it's always there. Seasons, and weather changes are obvious, the limits on resources like water on a daily basis, and the constant need to manage all resources carefully is never ending. You see the changing treescapes, the erosion and the sheer lack of water in the world. You can't avoid the way the soil around you dries, cracks, turns to concrete, and the way that bare soil inevitably becomes airborne dust. That dust in everything, on everything, that constant sense of dry choking, dirty, dusty, exhausted air. The constant wariness of fire, the myriad of daily decisions, the awful sense of your responsibility over what lives and what is moved on, or dies. Every. Single. Day.
SMALL MERCIES expresses so much of the effect that sort of living has on people. The damage that having to live a life on hold causes, the consequences of stress on a property and a farming couple, which up until reading this book, I hadn't considered as a form of PTSD. People living in that sort of constant tension make odd decisions, do odd things, react poorly, and sadly, often times pull away from each other, or, if they are luckier, smarter or just more bloody-minded, find a way to adapt and come together.
Set around the personal stories of Dimple and Ruthie, a couple struggling to keep the family farm going in the midst of ongoing, never-ending drought, it's heartening to see them get their backs up when a wealthy landowner pontificates that small farmers like them are doomed, and they should just go away, and leave agriculture to the large operators like him. Their backs are up enough to send them off on a physical journey to confront him about that statement, but it's the emotional journey that this triggers that is the important bit.
For a novel that covers a lot of territory (physical and emotional) in a pretty short space of time, SMALL MERCIES isn't heavy going though. Anderson writes in an engaging manner, with just enough humour to lift the black to grey, without attempting in anyway to gloss over the seriousness of the subject matter. He even manages to weave in a very realistic love story, of two people who, when the chips are down, find out that they do really need each other.
Moving, perceptive and very readable SMALL MERCIES is populated by real and accessible characters, set in the topical landscape of drought-ravaged rural Australia. Recently I've heard tell of a Canberra Parliamentary Bookclub. I'd suggest we all start recommending this as an entry they should be reading.
https://www.austcrimefiction.org/revi...
March 20, 2020
Wonderful story....real people and real situations. A fictional story that can very easily transcend into real life.
May 23, 2020
‘Farming was a business: a cutthroat business masquerading as a community project.’
‘Dimple’ (Dillon) and Ruth Travers run a mixed property in New South Wales: crops and cattle. The property is severely drought affected; the future is uncertain. Their two sons, J and Finnie are grown, have left home and live in the city. One day Finnie might like to return to the farm. Ruthie and Dimple have a routine which governs their lives, provides structure and predictability even as they struggle to obtain enough feed for their remaining cattle and to make planting decisions.
And then, two things happen. While helping one of his cows, Dimple hears a wealthy landowner on the radio. Wally Oliver it is. Dimple knew his father. Wally has a message for small farmers like Ruthie and Dimple:
‘.. that drought could be a good thing because it removed the bottom rung of farmers.’
Ruthie receives a letter. She needs treatment. She decides that waiting a couple of days won’t matter. She doesn’t tell Dimple straightaway: she wants time to think.
Ruthie and Dimple decide to take a brief break from the farm. They are going to confront Wally Oliver: someone has to tell him that he is wrong.
Ruthie and Dimple set off on what becomes a two-night trip, a journey to see Wally Oliver. This is a journey which tests them as all the routines that simultaneously shield and occupy their marriage are put to one side. They talk, they share their feelings.
We travel with Ruthie and Dimple, as they revisit the past and make plans. They talk about life off the farm, and make a decision seems right (after all, change may be necessary) but then regret.
I really enjoyed this novel. Both Dimple and Ruthie are finely drawn characters. Theirs is a long-standing marriage, with routines largely dictated by the farm, where self becomes subjugated by responsibility, where the uncertainties of the future can become overwhelming. And absent of routine, opportunities arise to explore the possibility of change. Restlessness is not confined to the young.
Highly recommended.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
‘Dimple’ (Dillon) and Ruth Travers run a mixed property in New South Wales: crops and cattle. The property is severely drought affected; the future is uncertain. Their two sons, J and Finnie are grown, have left home and live in the city. One day Finnie might like to return to the farm. Ruthie and Dimple have a routine which governs their lives, provides structure and predictability even as they struggle to obtain enough feed for their remaining cattle and to make planting decisions.
And then, two things happen. While helping one of his cows, Dimple hears a wealthy landowner on the radio. Wally Oliver it is. Dimple knew his father. Wally has a message for small farmers like Ruthie and Dimple:
‘.. that drought could be a good thing because it removed the bottom rung of farmers.’
Ruthie receives a letter. She needs treatment. She decides that waiting a couple of days won’t matter. She doesn’t tell Dimple straightaway: she wants time to think.
Ruthie and Dimple decide to take a brief break from the farm. They are going to confront Wally Oliver: someone has to tell him that he is wrong.
Ruthie and Dimple set off on what becomes a two-night trip, a journey to see Wally Oliver. This is a journey which tests them as all the routines that simultaneously shield and occupy their marriage are put to one side. They talk, they share their feelings.
We travel with Ruthie and Dimple, as they revisit the past and make plans. They talk about life off the farm, and make a decision seems right (after all, change may be necessary) but then regret.
I really enjoyed this novel. Both Dimple and Ruthie are finely drawn characters. Theirs is a long-standing marriage, with routines largely dictated by the farm, where self becomes subjugated by responsibility, where the uncertainties of the future can become overwhelming. And absent of routine, opportunities arise to explore the possibility of change. Restlessness is not confined to the young.
Highly recommended.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
April 19, 2020
This is a very different work from my usual reads, and for that, it felt like a treat. It is a small book at just about 208 pages and is for a leisure reader. I will elaborate on what exactly that is.
We are taken to a dusty farm in Australia, parched waiting for rain and life is hard. The couple we meet have been married for years, have two sons and have been taking care of the farm. There is a shakeup in the offing, with a medical report which comes in and then they take a trip both mentally and physically. Each reveals more to them about things they have become complacent about and might make or break their lifestyles. There is not much that actually ‘happens’ in the exact sense of that word, but enough is described to keep the reader reeled in. The casual analysis of a long relationship was fascinating to watch unfold. There are sporadic thoughts given to the ethics of living on lands colonized centuries ago juxtaposed with how the richer and bigger people or corporations tale over those who are weaker. There is a lot to savour (although that might be too buoyant a word for this scenario) in this narrative, and I would highly recommend it those who like watching people’s regular lives and listening in to different thought processes. We get to hear both the voices, in turns and something is endearing about both of them, especially since we see into their deepest likes, dislikes, thoughts and fears.
I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.
We are taken to a dusty farm in Australia, parched waiting for rain and life is hard. The couple we meet have been married for years, have two sons and have been taking care of the farm. There is a shakeup in the offing, with a medical report which comes in and then they take a trip both mentally and physically. Each reveals more to them about things they have become complacent about and might make or break their lifestyles. There is not much that actually ‘happens’ in the exact sense of that word, but enough is described to keep the reader reeled in. The casual analysis of a long relationship was fascinating to watch unfold. There are sporadic thoughts given to the ethics of living on lands colonized centuries ago juxtaposed with how the richer and bigger people or corporations tale over those who are weaker. There is a lot to savour (although that might be too buoyant a word for this scenario) in this narrative, and I would highly recommend it those who like watching people’s regular lives and listening in to different thought processes. We get to hear both the voices, in turns and something is endearing about both of them, especially since we see into their deepest likes, dislikes, thoughts and fears.
I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.
March 24, 2020
They say that a writer should write what he/she knows. Richard Anderson knows how to write. He also knows farming, mining, politics, family life and how to stay married while juggling all the aforementioned things. I would happily read whatever topic he chose to tackle.
I should begin by mentioning I have known Richard since 2013. I met him on a mine site, and he has been kind enough to allow me to chase deer on his property over the last 7 years.
I was also given a copy of this book by Richard when I told him I couldn’t find one in store. He refused my offer of payment for it.
I began reading Small Mercies while my parents were on a cruise during the beginning of the Covid 19 pandemic. I was halfway through when my father was diagnosed with the virus. My mother tested positive the day before I finished the book.
It’s difficult to not compare the characters with the author and his family when you know him and have spent time on his farm and in his house. The differences are obvious too.
The title -Small Mercies- is enough to grab the attention of anyone alive today. We are all becoming acutely aware of what is important in life. The narrative is a welcome distraction and a timely reminder of what is important in life. Money can’t buy family or health. My father used to say that money is a protection. Now I’m unsure. As he lies in ICU unable to speak to or see his loved ones, I’m sure he wishes he could never have afforded to go on the cruise. His depleted superannuation may dictate he never takes another. If he survives.
Dimple is a likeable character, who takes a pragmatic view toward life and all it throws at him.
I was impressed at the way the author carefully exposed the inner workings of the mind of a woman struggling with her own mortality. The cavalier attitude the couple showed in response to crises may only be believable by those who have endured them.
I used to view the life of a farmer as romantic. That was before I was invited to farm-sit a cattle property. When you are forced to make decisions, which involve life and death, romance is the furthest thing from your mind. When you get it wrong, it is gut-wrenching. I could feel the pain of Dimple and Ruthie when they realised their mistake.
I’m about to ask my 15-year-old daughter to read Small Mercies and review it as part of a home-school assignment. If schools ever return to normal, I would like to see it added to the syllabus. Our younger ones are about to learn what is actually important in life, and that their food, clothing and gadgets all have to come from somewhere. I think that Small Mercies will help them gain an appreciation of what our farmers are going through. Drought, fire, flood and pandemic. They don’t stop being farmers, and they don’t stop living their personal lives.
One of my fondest memories is cooking wild venison from the cow paddock, eggs from the chooks, not chickens, and vegetables from the garden in the kitchen of the house of the author. Small mercies, I guess.
I recommend that everyone read this novel. Not only because we need to support our farmers, essential service providers and artists at this time, but because it is a glimpse of what life is like for those who work tirelessly to put food on our tables and smiles on our faces, regardless of what they may be going through.
I’m looking forward to the next novel from this talented author that I call friend.
I should begin by mentioning I have known Richard since 2013. I met him on a mine site, and he has been kind enough to allow me to chase deer on his property over the last 7 years.
I was also given a copy of this book by Richard when I told him I couldn’t find one in store. He refused my offer of payment for it.
I began reading Small Mercies while my parents were on a cruise during the beginning of the Covid 19 pandemic. I was halfway through when my father was diagnosed with the virus. My mother tested positive the day before I finished the book.
It’s difficult to not compare the characters with the author and his family when you know him and have spent time on his farm and in his house. The differences are obvious too.
The title -Small Mercies- is enough to grab the attention of anyone alive today. We are all becoming acutely aware of what is important in life. The narrative is a welcome distraction and a timely reminder of what is important in life. Money can’t buy family or health. My father used to say that money is a protection. Now I’m unsure. As he lies in ICU unable to speak to or see his loved ones, I’m sure he wishes he could never have afforded to go on the cruise. His depleted superannuation may dictate he never takes another. If he survives.
Dimple is a likeable character, who takes a pragmatic view toward life and all it throws at him.
I was impressed at the way the author carefully exposed the inner workings of the mind of a woman struggling with her own mortality. The cavalier attitude the couple showed in response to crises may only be believable by those who have endured them.
I used to view the life of a farmer as romantic. That was before I was invited to farm-sit a cattle property. When you are forced to make decisions, which involve life and death, romance is the furthest thing from your mind. When you get it wrong, it is gut-wrenching. I could feel the pain of Dimple and Ruthie when they realised their mistake.
I’m about to ask my 15-year-old daughter to read Small Mercies and review it as part of a home-school assignment. If schools ever return to normal, I would like to see it added to the syllabus. Our younger ones are about to learn what is actually important in life, and that their food, clothing and gadgets all have to come from somewhere. I think that Small Mercies will help them gain an appreciation of what our farmers are going through. Drought, fire, flood and pandemic. They don’t stop being farmers, and they don’t stop living their personal lives.
One of my fondest memories is cooking wild venison from the cow paddock, eggs from the chooks, not chickens, and vegetables from the garden in the kitchen of the house of the author. Small mercies, I guess.
I recommend that everyone read this novel. Not only because we need to support our farmers, essential service providers and artists at this time, but because it is a glimpse of what life is like for those who work tirelessly to put food on our tables and smiles on our faces, regardless of what they may be going through.
I’m looking forward to the next novel from this talented author that I call friend.
April 19, 2020
I could really connect with the characters in this book as I am a farmer's daughter and farmer's wife in Illinois. I smiled and rooted for this couple as they delivered that baby calf in that first chapter, and felt their frustrations with the drought and with Wally Oliver, an arrogant bigger farmer who claims on the radio that smaller family farms do not deserve to survive or to exist. To me, those are fighting words and Dimple and Ruthie took them that way as well.
While they are dealing with the bad news that Ruthie has breast cancer, they decide to take a little vacation and to go confront Wally. I am proud of their courage and resilence, but it falls on deaf ears, imagine that! While they are enjoying the rest of their time together, Wally calls and offers to buy their farm at double the market value. I could understand their sentimental value towards their place, after all, it's all they've ever known, but I can also understand them wanting to experience more out of life, something they cannot do much when the cattle need tended to all day, everyday.
Ruthie really frustrates me in this book and a favorite Lonestar song's lyrics run through my head "She says there's got to be more to life, I don't want to be some farmer's wife". This couple is in their 50's, and all the sudden, she's acting completely out of character and flirting with a stranger in front of Dimple. I understand her frustrations of wondering what life would be like off of the farm, but she almost takes it too far, using her cancer diagnosis as an excuse. It's a little too late in life to start sowing wild oats, something most of us would have done in our 20's if we had felt that need.
As they go through with the process of selling the family farm, they both start having regrets. How could they want to live in town when farming is all they've ever known? What would they have done for income? Dimple has a hard time wanting to sell the cows because a good home where they are properly taken care of is not a guarantee. It just goes to show that cattle farmers care for their cattle a lot more than most realize. It's not just a hobby, but it's a lifestyle. Things all work out for the best in the end and I am happy to give a positive review for this book.
While they are dealing with the bad news that Ruthie has breast cancer, they decide to take a little vacation and to go confront Wally. I am proud of their courage and resilence, but it falls on deaf ears, imagine that! While they are enjoying the rest of their time together, Wally calls and offers to buy their farm at double the market value. I could understand their sentimental value towards their place, after all, it's all they've ever known, but I can also understand them wanting to experience more out of life, something they cannot do much when the cattle need tended to all day, everyday.
Ruthie really frustrates me in this book and a favorite Lonestar song's lyrics run through my head "She says there's got to be more to life, I don't want to be some farmer's wife". This couple is in their 50's, and all the sudden, she's acting completely out of character and flirting with a stranger in front of Dimple. I understand her frustrations of wondering what life would be like off of the farm, but she almost takes it too far, using her cancer diagnosis as an excuse. It's a little too late in life to start sowing wild oats, something most of us would have done in our 20's if we had felt that need.
As they go through with the process of selling the family farm, they both start having regrets. How could they want to live in town when farming is all they've ever known? What would they have done for income? Dimple has a hard time wanting to sell the cows because a good home where they are properly taken care of is not a guarantee. It just goes to show that cattle farmers care for their cattle a lot more than most realize. It's not just a hobby, but it's a lifestyle. Things all work out for the best in the end and I am happy to give a positive review for this book.
May 23, 2021
3.5 stars. This was a very readable small book, easy read which kept me engaged in the story of Dimple and Ruthie as they struggle with the impact of drought as 3rd-generation farmers. although I liked it, it was not without its flaws, the main one being that given it was a "light" read, the issues in their lives were presented in a rather sanitised, neat way, whereas the story could have leant itself to more serious and nuanced discourse.
February 27, 2021
What a fabulous story of struggles surrounded by a real life love story
March 12, 2020
A fine-grained study of a marriage and a land in crisis. A wonderful book. - Jock Serong
I couldn't agree more, Jock! Small Mercies is wholly engaging—a character-driven novel where the unforgiving Australian climate is an unpredictable character as well.
Richard Anderson is a second-generation farmer from northern NSW and this book is his third novel: he is the author of two rural-crime novels, Retribution (2018) and Boxed (2019). But Small Mercies is a novel of contemporary life: set on a property in drought-ravaged New South Wales, it traces a brief but destructive period in a marriage under stress from a devastating medical diagnosis and the long-term uncertainty of small-scale farming in Australia.
Ruthie and Dimple have been married for a long time and they know each other well in the way of long-term marriages. They've raised two sons, both of whom now have fulfilling lives in the city. J is content where he is but Finnie might want to return to the land one day. For now, life revolves around the daily grind of handfeeding the cattle, watching the weather forecast for long-overdue rain and the constant anxiety that maybe this 'drought' may never break. It may be a harbinger of climate change that will ruin them.
Two catalysts provoke a crisis in an otherwise stable life and relationship. Ruthie's medical diagnosis makes her newly conscious of her own mortality and the need to make a difference. She persuades Dimple to go with her to confront the exasperating loudmouth Wally Oliver, a wealthy landowner who spruiks on radio his claim that small farmers are doomed and the sooner they leave the land to large operators like him, the better. Though things are not easy, Ruthie and Dimple are not struggling as many of their counterparts are: they have managed their farm in full awareness that drought has always been part of the cycle of farming in Australia. They manage their finances knowing that there will be lean years, and they manage the stock and the land to see the drought through. But Ruthie is outraged on behalf of others less well-off than they are, and Dimple knows that many of his counterparts are struggling with mental health issues and that this kind of doom-laden talk could cause lasting harm.
So they set off on a road trip to have their say, but this temporary escape from their burdens breaks a communication drought in their relationship. Both of them are reticent; both of them have learned over many years to avoid confrontations; and both of them have kept quiet about minor indiscretions in the past. But now Ruthie is restless, and she wants to make the most of life, while Dimple's contentment with the farm lifestyle is undermined by his uncertainty about the long-term future of the farm.
To read the rest of my review please visit https://anzlitlovers.com/2020/03/02/s...
I couldn't agree more, Jock! Small Mercies is wholly engaging—a character-driven novel where the unforgiving Australian climate is an unpredictable character as well.
Richard Anderson is a second-generation farmer from northern NSW and this book is his third novel: he is the author of two rural-crime novels, Retribution (2018) and Boxed (2019). But Small Mercies is a novel of contemporary life: set on a property in drought-ravaged New South Wales, it traces a brief but destructive period in a marriage under stress from a devastating medical diagnosis and the long-term uncertainty of small-scale farming in Australia.
Ruthie and Dimple have been married for a long time and they know each other well in the way of long-term marriages. They've raised two sons, both of whom now have fulfilling lives in the city. J is content where he is but Finnie might want to return to the land one day. For now, life revolves around the daily grind of handfeeding the cattle, watching the weather forecast for long-overdue rain and the constant anxiety that maybe this 'drought' may never break. It may be a harbinger of climate change that will ruin them.
Two catalysts provoke a crisis in an otherwise stable life and relationship. Ruthie's medical diagnosis makes her newly conscious of her own mortality and the need to make a difference. She persuades Dimple to go with her to confront the exasperating loudmouth Wally Oliver, a wealthy landowner who spruiks on radio his claim that small farmers are doomed and the sooner they leave the land to large operators like him, the better. Though things are not easy, Ruthie and Dimple are not struggling as many of their counterparts are: they have managed their farm in full awareness that drought has always been part of the cycle of farming in Australia. They manage their finances knowing that there will be lean years, and they manage the stock and the land to see the drought through. But Ruthie is outraged on behalf of others less well-off than they are, and Dimple knows that many of his counterparts are struggling with mental health issues and that this kind of doom-laden talk could cause lasting harm.
So they set off on a road trip to have their say, but this temporary escape from their burdens breaks a communication drought in their relationship. Both of them are reticent; both of them have learned over many years to avoid confrontations; and both of them have kept quiet about minor indiscretions in the past. But now Ruthie is restless, and she wants to make the most of life, while Dimple's contentment with the farm lifestyle is undermined by his uncertainty about the long-term future of the farm.
To read the rest of my review please visit https://anzlitlovers.com/2020/03/02/s...
May 31, 2020
This is another of those novels that feature characters who live very ordinary lives. In this case Ruth and Dimple (Dillon) are Australian farmers running cows on country suffering from drought. They are wondering if they can survive. They hear Wally Oliver, an irrigation farmer with large holdings, say on radio that the drought will cull farmers who should be off the land anyway. Incensed, Ruth decides she and Dimple should travel to the town where Oliver lives and confront him. Ruth is also confronting a cancer diagnosis that she hasn’t told Dimple about as yet.
What lifts this novel above the ordinary is the understanding Anderson (himself a farmer) has of his characters and their struggles. He is especially good at showing the complexities of a marriage that Ruth nor Dimple don’t discuss and rarely acknowledge. Changes in circumstances force them to look differently at themselves and each other.
I enjoyed this novel a great deal even though you can see the author pulling the puppet strings at times. Some of the events are just too neat - there only to move the plot along another notch rather than rising organically from the situation and characters. But well worth the read. Three and a half stars.
What lifts this novel above the ordinary is the understanding Anderson (himself a farmer) has of his characters and their struggles. He is especially good at showing the complexities of a marriage that Ruth nor Dimple don’t discuss and rarely acknowledge. Changes in circumstances force them to look differently at themselves and each other.
I enjoyed this novel a great deal even though you can see the author pulling the puppet strings at times. Some of the events are just too neat - there only to move the plot along another notch rather than rising organically from the situation and characters. But well worth the read. Three and a half stars.
July 18, 2020
At first, the slow pace at the start was a disincentive to continue the narrative, somehow Ruthie’s drama and extraordinary changed behaviour drew me and I persevered with the Dimple’s dogged endurance of drought and flood. A key was his love for farming life, Ruthie’s desire to live a more interesting life almost derailed their both of their hoped for future together.
An Australian farming saga, an engaging read.
An Australian farming saga, an engaging read.
May 14, 2020
A snapshot of rural life and the tough decisions that can shape ourselves and other people’s future. This snapshot is very personal and intimate and sometimes you almost want too look away as you feel like you are eavesdropping on very personal issues.
Important to remember that all Australians love their homes and their land.
Important to remember that all Australians love their homes and their land.
October 27, 2020
Other reviewers have said it all, I think, so I'll keep it simple today. Richard Anderson writes from an authentic perspective as he's off the land like Dimple and Ruthie, the protagonists. It follows a believable story of the struggles and doubts of people living on the land in Australia. An easy read.
April 1, 2020
What a great book , incredibly well written and just couldnt put it down
July 1, 2022
A short, quiet, gentle read that felt so real. Dimple and Ruthie Travers are authentic country people who have given their lives to work the land. But the drought has taken its toll, their sons have left home for the city, rarely visiting and when Ruthie receives a health scare, it stirs a restlessness between the hitherto in sync couple. Should they persevere with life as they’ve always known it or should they risk change? A perfect snapshot of a well-worn marriage when it reaches a crossroad.
May 5, 2021
Ruthie and Dimple, an “older” farming couple go through personal crisis.
A nice Australian farm story with believable, likeable characters. Will fill an afternoon with a pleasant read.
A nice Australian farm story with believable, likeable characters. Will fill an afternoon with a pleasant read.
November 12, 2020
A sedate, easy read—this book tackles both the difficulties of living on the land as a farmer and the difficulties of marriage in a light but moving way. The characters are well written and the farming backdrop is perfectly rendered. The book is short but the perfect length. Overall: recommended.
May 18, 2020
While it could have been a great story, it was just all too simple a bit unrealistic.
August 4, 2021
My Review: This book is the real deal. You can absolutely tell the author of this book is a rural Australian farmer who draws from his own life experiences throughout this book and this is what really makes this book. If you are looking for an authentic account of running a small farm in country Australia, while being threatened by large farming corporations and trying to keep your marriage alive, read this one.
As a city mouse myself, I learnt an unbelievable amount about the nature of farming in Australia. Obviously, you hear stories about the impact of droughts and the harsh weather conditions which farmers are exposed to. But it’s hard to actually understand what is going on beneath the headlines.
This is a good story, well-written, and with characters I liked. Anderson handled the tricky job of getting into both Ruthie and Dimple’s minds and telling it in the third person. Nobody is right and nobody is wrong, but choices are hard when the times are ever changing. One of my favourite aspects of the book was the way in which Ruthie and Dimple communicated with each other (especially one scene where they have an argument which ends with Ruthie yelling “well your feet are too big”). You can tell Anderson draws from his experiences of marriage, as it is all so realistic that it’s humorous!
Do you think you would enjoy this one? Are there any other rural Australian books I should read?
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When To Read: when looking for an incredibly genuine and authentic fiction book which will teach you a lot about being a farmer and living in rural Australia.
As a city mouse myself, I learnt an unbelievable amount about the nature of farming in Australia. Obviously, you hear stories about the impact of droughts and the harsh weather conditions which farmers are exposed to. But it’s hard to actually understand what is going on beneath the headlines.
This is a good story, well-written, and with characters I liked. Anderson handled the tricky job of getting into both Ruthie and Dimple’s minds and telling it in the third person. Nobody is right and nobody is wrong, but choices are hard when the times are ever changing. One of my favourite aspects of the book was the way in which Ruthie and Dimple communicated with each other (especially one scene where they have an argument which ends with Ruthie yelling “well your feet are too big”). You can tell Anderson draws from his experiences of marriage, as it is all so realistic that it’s humorous!
Do you think you would enjoy this one? Are there any other rural Australian books I should read?
————————————————————————
When To Read: when looking for an incredibly genuine and authentic fiction book which will teach you a lot about being a farmer and living in rural Australia.
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