Messages from Chaos

by Susan Johnson

1st Australian Edition of this small novel by Susan Johnson. Susan Johnson delves into the psyche of a thoroughly contemporary woman (circa 1987) and by doing so exposes the paradoxes of a modern lifestyle juxtaposed against a backdrop of traditional aspirations instilled in those who grew up in a more role defined era.

Textbook Binding

First published January 1, 1987

About the author

Susan Johnson was shortlisted for the 1991 Victorian Premier's Literary Award for her novel Flying Lessons, shortlisted for the 1994 National Book Council's Banjo Award for the novel A Big Life and shortlisted for the National Biography Award 2000 for her memoir A Better Woman. Her other books include Hungry Ghosts, Messages from Chaos, Women Love Sex (editor and contributor) and Life in Seven Mistakes. The Broken Book was shortlisted for the 2005 Nita B Kibble Award; the Best Fiction Book section of the Queensland Premier's Literary Award; the Westfield/Waverley Library Literary Award, and the Australian Literary Society Gold Medal Award for an Outstanding Australian Literary Work. Her last novel, My Hundred Lovers, was published in 2012 to critical acclaim.

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name. This author is entered with 2 spaces.

Reviews

[Debbie Robson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Susan Johnson’s writing and my favourite book of hers that I have read so far is The Broken Book. Messages from Chaos is Johnson’s first, very accomplished novel. Johnson deftly moves between an indeterminate present and the past chronicling Anna Lawrence’s relationship with Jimmy West.
And this is where I immediately had problems. Jimmy is my late father’s name and Jimmy West is, to put it bluntly a pig. Gosh he is an awful person and I really couldn’t understand why Anna bothers with him. He is such a waste of time but then I know a lot of women are attracted to bad boys and he is that in spades, along with being married.
Johnson does keep us reading though. As she depicts Anna’s hopeless situation and her apparent helplessness and inability to act, she also reminds us that this is our lot as women (at least in the 1980s) to have our quality of life determined by a man. To be at the mercy of a man’s whims.
“I appear now to be in a state of transition. I can only hope that whatever it is that is going to happen to me happens soon, for I am learning to fear time. I wish everything wasn’t so hard; we are taught early to expect things, it can hardly be our fault. Jimmy once accused me of being too idealistic and he was right: I once expected everything.”
Just when you think you know what is happening in this very original novel, Johnson pulls out a twist. I noticed on flicking through the novel to write this review, lines that I read without understanding the implication:
“Looking back, there are always clues so obvious you might think yourself a fool for having missed them or for having dismissed them as meaningless.” And I did miss them.
Four stars despite Johnson’s character Jimmy West who I wanted to stomp on.

[Lyndon Walker · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a decent attempt by Australian author Susan Johnson to examine the difficulties and dilemmas facing contemporary women (in 1987) of growing up at a time when sex and gender roles had become somewhat confused, overturned and diffused. It holds the attention of those interested in a personification through character examination of these issues.

[Lee Kofman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novel is a real gem. The voice, the analysis of gender relations and love, and the way the writer leaves gaps in the narrative whenever she wishes (it feels like this novel was written ‘on a whim’ in the best sense of this expression – that it was effortlessly written) are all terrific.

[Lexie Lou · Rating 3 out of 5]

What a bizarre and morose little book. I really enjoyed it.