interessant wenn man es näher analysiert

Die Geschichte und storyline an sich sind nicht allzu spannend, jedoch erweist sich das Buch insgesamt als repräsentativ für die Zeit, die es erfasst und somit lehrreich. Die Form, der unterschiedlichen Geschichten und Inhalt werden geschickt genutzt, um die Vielschichtigkeit der Schicksale darzustellen.

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Wonderful if depressing novel

I thoroughly enjoyed Drylands by Thea Astley - it is not so much a novel as a series of interlocking short stories, all centred in and around the small (fictional) Central Qld town of Drylands. There are a few cultured characters (to different degrees) who somehow end up here, mainly women, and interact with the locals, many of whom are hard-drinking, misogynistic, uneducated men. It sounds like a display of elitism, and it is, in a way - but we learn so much through the many and diverse incidents that occur in the book. An aboriginal man, or rather half-aboriginal, is mistreated by his own half-brother who is white, and the town is nearly blown apart when the truth comes to light. A woman has a breakdown after nearly 20 years of marriage to a 'male chauvinist', and goes off to establish a life of her own. Janet the authorial character runs a newsagency in the town, which sells few papers and fewer books - and is held in suspicion as an observer/writer. The reader Beverley Dunn does a superb job of bringing dozens of characters to life, and keeping the story moving, indeed highly suspenseful at times. This is an entertaining audio book, despite the fact that Drylands is dying from drought and lack of imagination before our eyes. Who but Thea Astley could bring this scene to life so vividly?

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1 person found this helpful