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Humming
In New Zealand's idyllic Golden Bay, artist Ivan is plagued by a low frequency humming is it whale song, tinnitus, a CIA weapon, or the voice of God speaking very, very slowly? Worse, Ivan is bored with his sensible lover, Jane, who believes her life is perfect. Xania the warrior woman arrives from Argentina, determined to make the world a better place, starting with the local Tai Chi Club. When chaos erupts, some choose happiness and some don't.
"Humming" is a comic novel, a story of visions and delusions narrated with panache.
"Humming" is a comic novel, a story of visions and delusions narrated with panache.
247 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2005
1 person is currently reading
7 people want to read
About the author
Rachel McAlpine
36 books2 followersMcAlpine and her five sisters grew up in small-town vicarages in Canterbury, New Zealand. When she was 10 the family moved to Christchurch, where she attended Christchurch Girls High School and Canterbury University, graduating BA and Senior Scholar. She was married twice: to civil engineer Grant McAlpine (1969-1981) and to artist Michael Smither (1988-1992).
After four years in Geneva she moved to Masterton, New Zealand. There she raised four children, taught high school, wrote her first poetry book, and gained a Dip. Ed (Massey University) and B.A. Hons (Victoria University of Wellington).
McAlpine says that her career swerved abruptly in May 1995, when she first saw a web site. As a writer, she immediately realized that traditional writing styles would need to change for this new medium. She began teaching short courses on writing and managing web content in 1996, writing her first book on the topic, Web Word Wizardry, in 1999.
As Curriculum Director of Contented Enterprises, McAlpine created online writing courses. Contented teaches writing skills needed for blogs, social media, intranets, web sites, email, e-learning, and all documents that are managed electronically. Contented courses go beyond the traditional print-based curriculum for business writing: they show how to make content accessible and searchable. McAlpine's courses and conference speeches are original and playful (as befits a poet), while delivering solid information.
Besides her professional work, McAlpine writes two personal blogs. She lives in Wellington, dances with the Crows Feet Dance Collective, walks a lot and does Tai Chi. She also lobbies for plain language communication from government agencies.
~ Wikipedia
After four years in Geneva she moved to Masterton, New Zealand. There she raised four children, taught high school, wrote her first poetry book, and gained a Dip. Ed (Massey University) and B.A. Hons (Victoria University of Wellington).
McAlpine says that her career swerved abruptly in May 1995, when she first saw a web site. As a writer, she immediately realized that traditional writing styles would need to change for this new medium. She began teaching short courses on writing and managing web content in 1996, writing her first book on the topic, Web Word Wizardry, in 1999.
As Curriculum Director of Contented Enterprises, McAlpine created online writing courses. Contented teaches writing skills needed for blogs, social media, intranets, web sites, email, e-learning, and all documents that are managed electronically. Contented courses go beyond the traditional print-based curriculum for business writing: they show how to make content accessible and searchable. McAlpine's courses and conference speeches are original and playful (as befits a poet), while delivering solid information.
Besides her professional work, McAlpine writes two personal blogs. She lives in Wellington, dances with the Crows Feet Dance Collective, walks a lot and does Tai Chi. She also lobbies for plain language communication from government agencies.
~ Wikipedia
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
February 18, 2015
Humming is a contemporary tale set in Golden Bay New Zealand. Golden Bay is found on the northeast coastline of the South Island. The story is set in the small community of Petitport and the story begins in 2001. Ivan is an artist, Jane runs a café, they have a relaxed open relationship. Ivan can constantly hear a humming noise and the search for it's cause drives him to distraction.
Much of the community is brought together by a Tai Chi class that meets regularly. Xania has just returned from a year in Argentina studying Tai Chi under master Shan, she has returned to find many of her previous classes have dissolved under the unsatisfactory tutelage of Luna. Xania is expected to raise money for a Tai Chi centre in Auckland and must raise the funds for her Argentinian masters. The plans involve getting Ivan to paint pictures to raise funds for the centre.
Ivan likes being the centre of attention and plunges into deep depression when things don't go his way, Jane panders to his artistic needs, but as his fiftieth birthday approaches he finds Jane stifles his artistic vibes. He is flattered by attentions he gets from Xania and other members of the Tai Chi group, which blindly lead him to involvement in illegal trading of protected species.
Xania's passions for a healthy lifestyle are extreme as is her love of Argentina and the Tai Chi world. Through-out the book we read one sided e-mails to her former lover in Argentina as she makes a case for the Auckland centre. The situation almost hints at a cult style influence as Xania opens bank accounts and gives a finale sacrifice for the cause.
Jane and Ivan's relationship runs hot and cold as they both battle with distractions. Ivan fails to understand Jane's own artistic passion for her café and her pickles and preserves, nor does he appreciate the lengths she goes to tolerating his whims. Other members of the Tai Chi group also go through relationship challenges which conclude at the end.
This is quite a compelling read, the search for the source of the hum draws you in and the relationship issues keep you reading. Ivan is unpredictable and Xania is extreme enough to raise your eyebrows.
Much of the community is brought together by a Tai Chi class that meets regularly. Xania has just returned from a year in Argentina studying Tai Chi under master Shan, she has returned to find many of her previous classes have dissolved under the unsatisfactory tutelage of Luna. Xania is expected to raise money for a Tai Chi centre in Auckland and must raise the funds for her Argentinian masters. The plans involve getting Ivan to paint pictures to raise funds for the centre.
Ivan likes being the centre of attention and plunges into deep depression when things don't go his way, Jane panders to his artistic needs, but as his fiftieth birthday approaches he finds Jane stifles his artistic vibes. He is flattered by attentions he gets from Xania and other members of the Tai Chi group, which blindly lead him to involvement in illegal trading of protected species.
Xania's passions for a healthy lifestyle are extreme as is her love of Argentina and the Tai Chi world. Through-out the book we read one sided e-mails to her former lover in Argentina as she makes a case for the Auckland centre. The situation almost hints at a cult style influence as Xania opens bank accounts and gives a finale sacrifice for the cause.
Jane and Ivan's relationship runs hot and cold as they both battle with distractions. Ivan fails to understand Jane's own artistic passion for her café and her pickles and preserves, nor does he appreciate the lengths she goes to tolerating his whims. Other members of the Tai Chi group also go through relationship challenges which conclude at the end.
This is quite a compelling read, the search for the source of the hum draws you in and the relationship issues keep you reading. Ivan is unpredictable and Xania is extreme enough to raise your eyebrows.
May 21, 2011
NOTE: I WROTE THIS REVIEW FOR MY UNIVERSITY NEWSPAPER WAY BACK IN 2005, I WAS ALSO FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO INTERVIEW THE AUTHOR. SO THIS IS PART REVIEW/PART INTERVIEW.
Rachel McAlpine is a remarkable New Zealand author; although she is not a household name, her work is well known and liked in New Zealand. I caught up with her about her new novel Humming and her writing in general.
Humming is an outstanding book, set in Golden Bay, New Zealand. The novel is centred on the lives of Jane and Ivan. Jane is a sensible woman who runs the local Saltwater Café, and generally believes she is happy with life. Ivan is an eccentric but famous artist who has recently become aware of an irritating hum. Jane and Ivan are secretly married and enjoy an unusual relationship...but there is a problem…Ivan is bored. At a lose end with his art, he joins the local Tai Chi club for inspiration. Quiet life in the fictional little town of Petitport is thrown upside down and turned inside out when Xania returns home from Argentina. She is fiercely devoted to Tai Chi and has plans to make the world a better place by devoting her life to helping people. Xania is determined to raise enough money to establish a Tai Chi Institute in Auckland, even if it means going to extreme lengths to do it. While Jane searches for the cure to Ivan’s hum, Ivan searches for inspiration, and Xania’s zealous personality is exposed through via a series of emails with soul mate and ex-lover Pio who is back in Argentina. The novel ends with a twist and a general feeling of acceptance.
The story of Ivan, Jane and Xania, is told simply and beautifully. Humming is a light and amusing read, but it is still told in a very real way. The characters are not perfect they have their faults. For me, the characters were very reachable, and I found myself sharing their feelings at times. The book has a lot of laugh-out-loud moments, as the author Rachel McAlpine will tell you, “I don’t suppose you are supposed to laugh at your own book…but I can remember a lot of really loud cackles as I was writing this one.”
The book is very clearly NZ fiction, Rachel based the fictional town of Petitport on Puponga, and the beautiful Golden Bay scenery is of course real. She drew inspiration for the underlying hum of the book from the strange humming noise that some Golden Bay residents could hear. I found this book so delightfully New Zealand and I enjoyed every mention of Wellington, Auckland, Nelson, it just brought that book alive to know and have visited the places written about, maybe it is just me, but it made the book seem magical!
As with all her novels, Rachel went through phases with Humming, at times she would be as “high as a kite” and then at times she would think “this is the worst thing ever, what have I done this for?” The process was “very much a rollercoaster”. Although “you can’t actually help reflecting on real life” you have to “actually invent the people”, so Humming is both real and fictional, poised in a balancing game. Rachel McAlpine is an amazing author and her work has a very distinctive quality to it, which she believes comes from the combination of being a poet, and being a web content expert, “I let my hair down…but at the same time I can’t help being pretty concise.”
Humming explores life and spirituality from all angles. It is a mature novel, but approaches issues with a childish purity at times. One can’t help but wonder whether this reflects the author’s views of the world, “I often feel how immature I am…I haven’t figured out the meaning of life yet.” Humming is a beautiful, funny, and generally just appealing book, with an underlying hum of exploration. A deliciously filling read!
Rachel McAlpine is a remarkable New Zealand author; although she is not a household name, her work is well known and liked in New Zealand. I caught up with her about her new novel Humming and her writing in general.
Humming is an outstanding book, set in Golden Bay, New Zealand. The novel is centred on the lives of Jane and Ivan. Jane is a sensible woman who runs the local Saltwater Café, and generally believes she is happy with life. Ivan is an eccentric but famous artist who has recently become aware of an irritating hum. Jane and Ivan are secretly married and enjoy an unusual relationship...but there is a problem…Ivan is bored. At a lose end with his art, he joins the local Tai Chi club for inspiration. Quiet life in the fictional little town of Petitport is thrown upside down and turned inside out when Xania returns home from Argentina. She is fiercely devoted to Tai Chi and has plans to make the world a better place by devoting her life to helping people. Xania is determined to raise enough money to establish a Tai Chi Institute in Auckland, even if it means going to extreme lengths to do it. While Jane searches for the cure to Ivan’s hum, Ivan searches for inspiration, and Xania’s zealous personality is exposed through via a series of emails with soul mate and ex-lover Pio who is back in Argentina. The novel ends with a twist and a general feeling of acceptance.
The story of Ivan, Jane and Xania, is told simply and beautifully. Humming is a light and amusing read, but it is still told in a very real way. The characters are not perfect they have their faults. For me, the characters were very reachable, and I found myself sharing their feelings at times. The book has a lot of laugh-out-loud moments, as the author Rachel McAlpine will tell you, “I don’t suppose you are supposed to laugh at your own book…but I can remember a lot of really loud cackles as I was writing this one.”
The book is very clearly NZ fiction, Rachel based the fictional town of Petitport on Puponga, and the beautiful Golden Bay scenery is of course real. She drew inspiration for the underlying hum of the book from the strange humming noise that some Golden Bay residents could hear. I found this book so delightfully New Zealand and I enjoyed every mention of Wellington, Auckland, Nelson, it just brought that book alive to know and have visited the places written about, maybe it is just me, but it made the book seem magical!
As with all her novels, Rachel went through phases with Humming, at times she would be as “high as a kite” and then at times she would think “this is the worst thing ever, what have I done this for?” The process was “very much a rollercoaster”. Although “you can’t actually help reflecting on real life” you have to “actually invent the people”, so Humming is both real and fictional, poised in a balancing game. Rachel McAlpine is an amazing author and her work has a very distinctive quality to it, which she believes comes from the combination of being a poet, and being a web content expert, “I let my hair down…but at the same time I can’t help being pretty concise.”
Humming explores life and spirituality from all angles. It is a mature novel, but approaches issues with a childish purity at times. One can’t help but wonder whether this reflects the author’s views of the world, “I often feel how immature I am…I haven’t figured out the meaning of life yet.” Humming is a beautiful, funny, and generally just appealing book, with an underlying hum of exploration. A deliciously filling read!
May 22, 2016
I enjoyed this book, particularly its characterisations.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews