Rhubarb

by Craig Silvey

Meet Eleanor Rigby: tiny, blind, and left behind. Led by her zealous, overprotective guide dog, Warren, she courses constantly through the places she knows. Tired, mired, and sequestered from the world, Eleanor can’t shirk the feeling she’s going nowhere slowly. Until, of course, she recognises something in the sound of Ewan Dempsey, reclusive and compulsive maker and player of cellos, who impels in Eleanor a rare moment of caprice…

Genres: Fiction, Australia, Contemporary, Book Club, Audiobook, Relationships, Unfinished

336 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

Craig Silvey is an author and screenwriter from Fremantle, Western Australia.

His critically acclaimed debut novel, Rhubarb, was published in 2004. His bestselling second novel, Jasper Jones, was released in 2009 and is considered a modern Australian classic. Published in over a dozen territories, Jasper Jones has won plaudits in three continents, including an International Dublin Literary Award shortlisting, a Michael J. Printz Award Honor, and a Miles Franklin Literary Award shortlisting. Jasper Jones was the Australian Book Industry Awards Book of the Year for 2010.

His third novel, Honeybee, published in 2020, was an award-winning bestseller. Honeybee was the 2020 Dymocks Book Of The Year, won the Indie Book Award for Best Fiction, and was shortlisted for both the Literary Fiction Book of the Year at the 2021 ABIA Awards and the Adult Fiction Book of the Year at the ABA Booksellers’ Choice Awards. In 2022 and 2023, Honeybee was voted Number 1 in the Better Reading Top 100.

Released in 2022, Runt was his first novel for Younger Readers. Dubbed an 'instant classic', Runt won a raft of awards, including the Children’s Book Council of Australia Book of the Year Award, the Australian Book Industry Awards Book of the Year for Younger Children, the Indie Book Awards Book of the Year, Children's Book of the Year at the BookPeople Book of the Year Awards and the 2022 Dymocks Book of the Year for Younger Readers.

Its sequel, 'Runt and the Diabolical Dognapping', will be released September 30th, 2025.

Reviews

[Reynje · Rating 5 out of 5]

“..against your will it would make you think of just how much of your day comprised simply missing things. Just how much eluded you. Just how many kicks you were behind the play. Unravelled, you would entertain these thoughts. You would be sitting with a guide dog and a slipped guard. And ambivalence. Eleanor Rigby, the girl who kept Distance above all, would feel excluded.”

Rhubarb is the book I never knew I wanted to read – all the makings of a favourite, here all along in a title I’d repeatedly overlooked. It’s a touching and sharply perceptive novel that interlaces two portraits of isolation, different in cause but alike in effect. Eleanor Rigby is blind, Ewan Dempsey is agoraphobic. Both are sequestered by their pasts, hobbled by the present, occupying tightly closed private worlds that collide in the lead up to Christmas of 1999.

Rather than a story about loneliness, in the sense of a disconnect between social interaction and the desire for it, I think that here Silvey recognises that there’s a certain kind of solace in solitude, and that isolation can be, for some, a form of refuge. And it’s this cultivated aloneness that makes the eventual connection so poignant, so much more powerful, because the walls are breached in spite of their familiarity and comfort. This is not a story about “fixing” people or miraculously conquering deeply ingrained emotional pain, but the soft click of two people fitting together by virtue of understanding and mutual empathy, recognising something in other that speaks just to them. It explores the personal cost at which this sense of connection is bought – how much it takes to lay bare things long hidden away.

Silvey constructs the story in vignette-like sections of Eleanor and Ewan’s lives, past and present, and the characters that reside on the periphery of their worlds. It’s a novel of finely detailed, interlocking parts and a wry observations of community. As in Jasper Jones, Silvey displays a skill for insightfully expressing the idiosyncrasies of Australian culture, and for crafting a rich setting. The dense heat of December is palpable, as is Eleanor’s physical discomfort as she navigates the streets of Fremantle in the company of her noble guide dog Warren. The quiet of Ewan’s cottage, broken only by a pair of randy possums and his beloved cello Lillian, is stifling. There is very much a sense of place in the novel, a distilled and concentrated atmosphere that gives the story intensity and draws the reader in. It’s an evocative, sensory book – beautifully textured with sound and touch and scent.

There’s an artistry to the way Silvey uses language. He writes with almost a disregard for conventional writing rules, favouring words that run together and quirks of capitalisation, slipping between second and third person narration in a manner that feels fluid and comfortable. There’s no denying that there’s a floridness to the description and word choice, but it doesn’t feel cloying. Rather, the imagery lends this novel an almost whimsical edge, a softness to the occasionally dark and brutal elements of the story. It’s easy to see how the exuberance of Rhubarb developed into the slightly more measured prose of Jasper Jones. Both showcase Silvey’s unique style, but there’s something about the freeness and the flow of words in Rhubarb that I love. It’s a kind of literary abandon that pays off, feels organic and charming rather than contrived and awkward.

Rhubarb balances humour and sadness with particular finesse, managing to tread a line between due respect for the characters and not taking itself too seriously. There are parts I found genuinely laugh-out-loud hilarious, partially due to the slightly dry, tongue in cheek delivery. On the other hand there are quietly devastating elements of this story, moments of grief and longing striking for their warts-and-all honesty. It’s an unconventional book, but a moving one, a story to be savoured.

Finally, a thank you to the lovely Eleanor Rigby (yes, Eleanor Rigby) whose gentle prods towards this book are greatly appreciated. Without her recommendation, what would turn out to be one of my favourite books of the year might have gone undiscovered.


* * * * *
Recommended to me by the lovely Eleanor Rigby, not to be mistaken for the Eleanor Rigby in this book, who also has an Eleanor Rigby namesake. I feel very meta right now.

[BlueSky · Rating 2 out of 5]

I stayed up til 1:00 a.m. last night to finish this book - not because I couldn't put it down, but because it had become so disjointed that I was hoping for some explanation to make the agonising last few chapters worth it. Alas I was to be disappointed ...

And I wonder, am I not alone in not knowing what happened to make Ewan so reclusive - and was he agoraphobic or did he just hate people and interacting with people? And why/how did he get to be like this? Was Eleanor truly physically blind, or was she blinded - literally - by terror? Did she and her sister Jenny witness an attempt at murder on their mother? What was that? Why did Jenny never come to see if Eleanor was alright?

Because the writing disintegrated so badly towards the end of the book and became so mind-numbingly boring in the minute details, I worried that I had read what I wanted to know on auto-pilot and therefore missed it. So I have read other people's glowing reviews ... and strangely no-one mentions the solutions to the questions raised. So I conclude that no-one knows.

The beginning of the book was captivating. Quirky, intriguing characters. Seductive writing. I am so sad that it gave way to 'clever dick' writing, going for the obvious I-want-to-stand-out tricks - shock (tampons and menstruation) confuse (what the hell did he just say?) dare (let's make some mull muffins and get some possums stoned) and bore (how many ways can this mundane event be described?). And the best clever dick trick of all. Do Not Explain What The Hell Just Happened. BTW - you may notice that nearly all award winning books display these irritating traits.

I did like the dog who hated his own name (Warren) and that he hated the lack of respect he got in his job as guardian of Eleanor. And the crankily determined hermit crab Ewan. The terrible jokes. I liked Eleanor and Ewan (the person) too.

But what the hell was that ending? Seriously??

[Carly Findlay · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was recommended in a FB book club group - and I should have known not to go here, from the previous recommendation from that group!

People said it was light hearted and heart warming. It’s about a guide dog called Warren, an independent blind woman called Eleanor and a few other eccentric characters.

But it was ableist - repeated use of the M word as it pertains to short stature. Just like the other book that I read, that members of that group recommended. In the two or so chapters I got through there were jokes about being blind as well as the aforementioned disability slur. And just as I was about the end reading, there was the leprosy song. God, revolting. Everyone laughed.

I have read some criticism of Craig Silvey - a cisgendered white man taking writing Aboriginal and Transgender characters - not passing the mic to own voices authors. He’s done it again - in this first book - in writing a disabled character. He is non disabled.

He wrote this at 19, in 2004. Still, the ableism is dated - should never have been written into this book.

I did not finish it.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think I will be forever in love with the paragraphs on pages 36 and 37. I've never read aloud to other adults before but these few paragraphs had me compelled to, despite (or perhaps due to?) recent events that had me doubting the necessity to ever speak out loud again.
"She imagined it. A Place....and if Happy Ness was a Place, then there must be other Places too. Like Cold Ness. And Wet Ness. Quiet Ness..." the whole page thereafter is just pure gold to me. I will read and re-read and re-read it forever. I may have it engraved on my tombstone.
That said, I did get a bit bogged down in the details of the second half of the book, although I am undecided as to whether that was because it was tedious or if it was great. I will read it through again sometime and come to a conclusion. But for now, it was timely and well-appreciated.

[Muphyn · Rating 1 out of 5]

I give up. I've tried, I really have but after a week of barely getting through three hours, I just can't face it anymore and the thought of listening to another six hours just puts me to sleep. I'm not interested in any of the characters, the plot, the musings on life, ... There were bits and pieces that piqued my interest but it all got lost in the overall waffle.

I know others who liked it but it's just not for me. Not even Humphrey Bower, one of my favourite narrators, could rescue this for me. I'm learning to give up books much quicker these days, and this one is another casualty.

[Louise · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was excited to find this Craig Silvey title for $3 at a thrift store. After devouring ‘Jasper Jones’ and ‘Honeybee’ I was excited to explore Silvey’s work again in ‘Rhubarb’.

There are elements of Silvey’s descriptive writing that are just excellent. In many sentences, his phrasing caused me to pause and appreciate some truly masterful writing. However, as a novel, the weaving of the narrative was a little forced and definitely not as easy to follow as his later releases. His characters are complex and endearing, however I feel many major affects remain unresolved.

[Manny]

rhubarb rhubarb rhubarb rhubarb rhubarb rhubarb rhubarb rhubarb rhubarb rhubarb rhubarb rhubarb rhubarb rhubarb rhubarb rhubarb rhubarb rhubarb rhubarb rhubarb rhubarb rhubarb rhubarb rhubarb rhubarb rhubarb rhubarb rhubarb rhubarb rhubarb rhubarb rhubarb rhubarb rhubarb rhubarb rhubarb rhubarb rhubarb rhubarb rhubarb rhubarb rhubarb rhubarb rhubarb rhubarb rhubarb rhubarb rhubarb rhubarb rhubarb rhubarb rhubarb rhubarb rhubarb rhubarb rhubarb rhubarb rhubarb rhubarb rhubarb rhubarb rhubarb rhubarb rhubarb rhubarb rhubarb rhubarb rhubarb rhubarb rhubarb rhubarb rhubarb

[Susan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had read Jasper Jones and adored it so thought that I would try another by Craig Silvey. This had little of the charm of Jasper Jones and I did not particularly care about the characters. There is an element of poetry in the writing style that is pleasing. I felt a little beaten about the head with 'rhubarb' by this book as it becomes a metaphor for, well, everything.
No doubt there will be others who love this book and kudos to them, I'm am simply not in that group of readers.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was Craig Silvey first book written well back in 2004, yet is no surprise given his latest ‘Honeybee’ and previous ‘Jasper Jones’ offerings. He writes fine characters with the focus of relationships and the true meaning of humanity. Whilst initially a seemingly ode to loneliness, this novel is far more poignant. A gentle style and light touch make for a very fine first narrative and a portent to his insightful artistry. Four stars and if you haven’t yet, please read the other two gems.

[Maddie Sawyer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Given that Honeybee and Jasper Jones are two of my favourite books, I was very excited to read Rhubarb, however it didn’t take me long to realise it was going to be a bit of a slog.

Craig Silvey writes beautifully. His words are unique and poetic, they challenge the mind. And there was no lack of this in Rhubarb, but I felt they came at an expense to the storyline - it felt disjointed and I had absolutely no idea what was going on most of the time. I am left with so many questions.

[Marianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rhubarb is Craig Silvey’s first full-length novel. The main characters are the quirky Eleanor Rigby, a petite blind 21 year-old who lives with her reclusive mother, Estelle; and the equally reclusive Ewan Dempsey, aged 23, agoraphobic, maker and player of cellos. Eleanor is ably led by her guide dog Warren (who wishes he had a better name than a habitat for rabbits). Warren guides her by day and guards her by night, but can’t guide her in her Dreams. Eleanor is always on the move through the places she knows, but feels she’s going nowhere. One day, however, she hears Ewan Dempsey playing his cello on his front verandah (it’s almost Christmas, it’s Fremantle, it’s hot inside) and is drawn to the sound. Of course, Ewan withdraws and Eleanor has to take the initiative just to talk to him. This is a meeting of two people damaged by their past, who manage to connect and save each other. This novel is filled with genuine characters, clever dialogue, humour and even a bit of slapstick, as well as some elegant prose: “The hazy fur of drygrass along the hills, quilted with dull granite and foliage.”; To the east, the moon is out with a herd of early stars. As though they have crept from the ether to watch the sunset”. The running together of words and the Capitalisation of Significant Words is vaguely reminiscent of Rushdie. A joy to read.

[Yvette Adams · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was excited to read this cos I LOVED Jasper Jones, but I just didn't like this. I didn't particularly like the characters, I didn't like the storytelling... I'm sure some people love this book and think it's very poetic. It's just not for me.

[Keen Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 Stars!

“It pokes stupidly over his domed belly, like a blushing man peering over a sand dune.”

This has to be the funniest description of an erection I’ve read in some time. Silvey certainly doesn’t shy away from some ornate phrasing, throwing rich and detailed description around like rice at a wedding, and he is clearly on comfortable terms with his thesaurus too, I learned at least five new words.

This isn’t always the easiest story to follow and certainly doesn’t lack for ambition. It’s about loss and the rocky road to recovery and making the best of the hand you’ve been dealt etc. Though the crowbarring of rhubarb stories doesn’t always work, and this starts to take on the feel of an Inarritu film, but maybe under the influence of bad drugs.

There are just too many vague and cryptic passages, which cried out to be worded in more clear or eloquent ways. It seemed to almost delight in its contrarian opacity, as if believing the more clunky and evasive the flow of the narrative the more clever it must be.

There’s a lot of quality in here, but there are a lot of flaws too, which could have been ironed out. The longer it went on the greater the gaps and the more frustrating the read, and the last few chapters was like watching the story deteriorating before your eyes, but the poor ending leaves you with the sense that this book was worse than it really was.

[Sanch Writes · Rating 2 out of 5]

My review: http://www.overacuppacoffee.com/2011/...

[Şilan · Rating 1 out of 5]

Yazarın anlatımından mıdır çeviriden midir bilmiyorum ama berbattı. Bitsin de kurtulayım diye okudum resmen. Zaman ve para kaybı.

[Kate (pooxs_insta) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked it, but I often was lost in terms of what was going on/who was the focus in each section

[Gia-Yen · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is something heartbreakingly beautiful about this book, so starkly contrasted against the ordinariness, the ochre-ness, of the characters and the scenery. Somehow, Craig Silvey has made these regular old joes into extraordinary personifications of the Australian experience at the turn of the century. The clever tying together of different vernacular uses of the word ‘rhubarb’, along with the knitting together of so many disparate lives is the very real portrayal of Aussie life: a patchwork, not quite perfect, the pieces all weird on their own but somehow they work together well. The story is really about learning to confront the limitations of one’s pat – no matter how ugly, hurtful, or shameful – and breaking free of those bonds to be happy. For some of those characters, the freedom they seek (and obtain) is literal – like the crab – and for others it is buried under many layers of the human experience. The prose is fun, crass at times, and real. The humour is dry, just like Jasper Jones, and the distant-feeling writing style makes for an excellent contrast against the characters’ success at finding freedom. Silvey’s use of humour and the familiar mundane-ness of life make a surprisingly effective vehicle for dealing with one of the hardest human endeavours: acceptance of the past in order to look to the future.

[Steve Maxwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

"There's the suddensqueal of locking tyres and a near near miss. But Ewan drives on undettered, with a crab and two possums and a tally of fourteen letterboxes, three side mirrors and almost a cat. Still in first gear."

This debut novel from the great Craig Silvey is a masterpiece. The story of Eleanor Rigby, who is blind, Warren, her loyal guide dog Ewan, a reclusive cello maker and Bruno, the somewhat dodgy owner of the corner store, who always has very bad 'blind jokes' for Eleanor, and not to forget the several cameo appearances of two possums.

The story of intertwined lives and friendships is full of dramas and beautifully interspersed with lots of humour. Easy and enjoyable to read, this book is exceptional. Loved it!

[Margaret Galbraith · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sadly another disappointing book for me. I really enjoyed Runt and The Amber Amulet was well done but this was just so disjointed I ended up skimming through to the end hoping it would get better.

At the beginning Eleanor and her guide dog Warren caught my attention but after that it just became plain weird. Moving on I was hoping it would get better but it was so odd and boring. I pushed on hoping for something interesting to happen but it just got weirder for want of a better word. I haven’t read Jasper Jones but now I’m a tad wary but there are many who enjoyed it and this one so I’ll see.

[Abbey McDonnell · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm confused

[Jake Russo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not going to lie, I have no idea what happened in this novel. There were times where I was completely immersed in the story, the characters, the conversations, the language, etc. But there were more times where I realised I either hadn't understood what had just happened, or where I was bored by what I read - so much so that I couldn't really tell you anything of significance that happens in this book.

Strong start, strong and interesting characters, and at times funny - this definitely reads as a debut novel. Not counting Craig Silver out as an author yet, I just think this book wasn't my cup of tea.

[Liberty · Rating 2 out of 5]

I couldn’t finish this, despite trying for a month(!). I found the writing style so confusing and strange, my mind kept drifting and I just didn’t care about these characters. It definitely reads like a debut.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Craig Silvey's book Rhubarb is set in Fremantle, Western Australia, at the tail end of the 20th Century. We follow blind girl Eleanor Rigby and her restless steps through the streets and along the beaches of Fremantle with Warren, the guide-dog who objects to being named after a rabbit dwelling and has Lassie aspirations. We also meet agoraphobic cellist Ewan Dempsey and witness his ongoing battle with the possums continuously copulating in his roof space. The story begins to unfold when they meet and begin to impact each other in different ways. The writing in Rhubarb is incredible; difficult not to be arrested by some of the lyrical prose, and the easy way he blends Aussie street colloquialisms with vivid, brilliant language. At times it possibly did stray into the self-indulgent and I lost where I was with the story. I also found the rhubarb motif that tied the different stories together a little forced, but overall listening to this story was a pleasure and I'm keen to read another.

[Callum Woodward · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is probably the most perfect book that I can recommend to no-one.

Rhubarb is so specific to me in so many ways. It's set in Fremantle, Western Australia where I live. It features a musician and uses in-depth music terminology in his scenes(I'm studying music teaching). It has a drunken sing along to Billy Joel's 'Piano Man', one of my favourite songs. The disjointed writing between perspectives along with the ambiguity of the writing is something I had no clue how to process properly but kept on reading because it everything about Rhubarb willed me forward in the story.

The plot is stupidly weird with nothing justified or explained in detail, leaving many outcomes and reasons to the whim of the reader's mind. I'm not a fan of this but the book hasn't left an ill feeling after finishing it like other ambiguous or confusing books have done.

I think I've read the most un-reviewable book in Rhubarb. I would just as likely encourage everyone to read this as I would to tell you to stay away.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book filled with despairing, lonely people ("aah, look at all the lonely people ..."), but strangely enough I never felt like it utterly despaired - there was always life and hope in it, and I felt charmed by the characters of Eleanor and Ewan and lovable guide-dog Warren, and delighted by the humorous pair of possums and cranky Hermit crab. This is one of those books that demands a second reading, owing to the often rather confusing writing style (I also found it a bit difficult keeping track of some of the secondary characters, and a few times had to flip back to check who the heck that person was). But really, it was a lovely book and I'm not annoyed that I feel I have to revisit it – indeed I think I will get more out of a second reading. Altogether, this book stacks up an assorted pile of vignettes: sweet, quirky, funny, frustrating, pensive, dark, deeply sad – all tied up with rhubarb, but more importantly, by characters I care about, to make one charming whole.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautifully written story which I just had to re-read. The author's description of the characters (Ewan and Eleanor) is so warm and accurate, down to the finest detail. I think he makes the reader feel true empathy and you just want them to be happy together. I especially appreciated some of the quirky little characters when I read it for the second time (crazy crab and possums). There's a sense of reality to this book which is hard to describe; almost like you're there experiencing the lives unfold. I love it!!!

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely fantastic. Quirky and best imagery I have seen for some years

[Barbs · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointing effort after his first book Jasper Jones which was totally fabulous!

[jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

read in 2012 - during australian phase - better review to come

4.5 stars

[Asu · Rating 1 out of 5]

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