Review

TOP 4 BOOKS TO READ THIS MONTH

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

Set in 1960s California, meet the uncompromising, unconventional Elizabet Zott, your new favourite heroine. We have all loved this debut novel! “A book that sparks joy with every page!” Elizabeth Day

Wake by Shelley Burr

A nerve jangly thriller with a brilliantly twisty plot. Fabulous Australian crime fiction. “Wake will appeal to fans of Jane Harper, Christian White and Chris Hammer”. Books+Publishing “One of the year’s best debuts". Chris Hammer

Freezing Order by Bill Browder

Bill Browder returns with another gripping story of how he became Putin’s number one enemy. Thrilling tale of assassinations, legal battles and billions in cash. It would be entertaining fiction, but it’s true!

Skandar and the Unicorn Thief by A F Steadman

The first book in the hotly anticipated new fantasy adventure series for readers aged 10+. If you like Harry Potter or Percy Jackson, you’ll love this. With unlikely heroes, magic, fierce sky battles and bloodthirsty unicorns!

A BOOK LOVER’S REVIEW BY JACQUI SERAFIM

The Labyrinth

by Amanda Lohrey

“The cure for many ills, noted Jung, is to build something.”

Erica Marsden has had a traumatic life. Abandoned by her mother at a young age, her psychiatrist father killed by a patient, and later deserted by the father of her child, she has struggled alone to raise her troubled son. When Erica’s son is imprisoned for manslaughter, she leaves her current life and moves to an old shack in a small rural hamlet on the south-east coast of New South Wales. The hamlet is near the prison where her son is incarcerated and allows her to visit him while maintaining a level of anonymity. The recent torment of her son’s situation and the traumas of her past plague her and she is seeking to calm her mind.

Labyrinths date back 4,000 years as a walking meditation and as a tool for personal psychological and spiritual transformation. They are about the journey not the destination and, unlike a maze which is designed to trick and confuse, they lead you inevitably to the centre in a single, continuous path. They are designed to be calming. It is fitting then, that Erica, inspired by the memories of the labyrinth of her childhood in the grounds of her father’s asylum, seizes on the idea of building a labyrinth as a passage to healing. Her father “believed in the mind as a divine engineering project designed for the invention and use of tools. Homo faber: man the maker. The use of the hands is a powerful medicine, he would say.”

The first person narrative shifts effortlessly between Erica’s memories of her traumatic past and her troubled present where she seeks a simpler, more peaceful “pastoral” life, closer to nature to heal her soul. Her obsession with building a labyrinth is inspired by her memories of the labyrinth in the grounds of the asylum where she grew up and lost both her parents. It provides a concrete link between her past and her present and provides a focus for her healing both in practical terms as she focuses on “making” something and in spiritual terms as she reconnects with the natural world and the people around her. Strangers become neighbours in the act of involvement in the project. Lohrey’s delineation of the healing process is deft – demonstrating without sentiment that each of the participants has their own goals and needs being met. There is no sentimentality – just moments of connection which is enough for each of them.

Lohrey’s writing is rich in layered images and lyrical description. We experience the jarring juxtaposition of the peaceful environment of her childhood living in the asylum and its traumatic events, then the somewhat sordid depiction of Erica’s adult life in Sydney and the contrasting wild beauty of the south-east coast. The characters are artfully drawn; we see them as Erica sees them through her observant but emotionally distant lens. Lohrey’s The Labyrinth is a work of haunting beauty, stark brutality and yet is almost meditative in its delivery. It is poignant yet hopeful for it reveals a way forward in the face of overwhelming loss.

The Labyrinth is the winner of the Miles Franklin Literary Award, 2021, the Prime Minister’s Literary Awards Fiction Prize, 2021, and the Voss Literary Prize, 2021.

Artist Profile:

Mary Norton-Smith

Can you describe to us the type of artist you are, and the medium you work in?

I am a representational, contemporary artist working mainly in acrylics. My main focus has been on landscapes and urban cityscapes but I am currently working on a series of still life paintings in the studio. With different forms of lighting. I am motivated by many things including modern architecture, photography, fashion, art and music and contemporary culture. Often when I am out and about I see something that sparks my interest and I will take a photo. Then I do some drawings from that before starting a painting.

Where did you learn your craft, or is it something you were blessed with?

I completed a commercial art/ graphic design course in Sydney and then went to the USA where I furthered my studies for two years at the Academy of Art College in San Francisco gaining a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Graphic Design. I have always been interested in art and drawing.

Do you find Lane Cove and surrounds a supportive place for artists and creators?

Lane Cove is a very supportive place for artists and creators. We have a high class gallery within Lane Cove itself although many people are not aware of it. Also The Lane Cove Art Society provides an opportunity to network with other artists, monthly demonstrations and talks and the opportunity to exhibit in the members annual exhibition.

Still Life with Pumpkin

Do you believe there should be more support for the arts, and if so, how would that manifest?

I definitely believe there should be more support for the arts particularly for young artists starting out. If a gallery could be created for them to display their work without the gallery fees/commissions most galleries charge, it would be a great opportunity for them to get launched in the art world.

How would we go about seeing your works?

My works can be seen on my Instagram profile @marynortonsmith I will be exhibiting in the upcoming Art Extra Show at Lane Cove Gallery in June. Also I can be contacted by email for commissions / viewings at marynortonsmith@gmail.com

Which artists inspire you?

I am inspired by the Impressionists and the Fauves, in particular Matisse and Braque, also the German Expressionists and the American artist Edward Hopper.

Still Life with Agave Plant

Still Life with Orange Teapot

This month’s writing course 100 Words

Online Creative Non-Fiction with Writing NSW

In this online writing course, Zoya Patel will provide feedback on your essays and creative nonfiction, enabling you to hone your skills over five months. Feedback will vary depending on each piece but may focus on areas such as voice and tone, structure and pacing, or incorporating research and other materials into your work. Each month, you’ll submit up to 1500 words of creative non-fiction. Your tutor will provide tailored feedback, giving you time to incorporate her suggestions and advice into the next month’s submission. Each month you can submit either new or revised writing. You’ll also have the opportunity to read and comment on other participants’ work. This process of giving and receiving feedback from fellow writers is an ideal way to determine what works, what resonates, what falls flat – and how to improve. This online course takes place on a website specifically designed for writers, making it simple and easy to share your writing, give and receive feedback, and interact with fellow writers. If you’re ready to challenge yourself and develop your skills through constructive critique and independent work, this course is for you. Please note: this is a feedback-based program. While you are welcome to generate new material for submission during this time, no prompts or themes will be provided.

PARTICIPANT REQUIREMENTS:

• Internet access and confidence using basic computer software are essential for this course. • This five-month course starts on 18 July with enrolment into our online classroom. Submissions (personal essays up to 1500 words) are due on the following dates, 10pm AET (NSW): - 25 July, 22 August, 19 September, 17 October, 14 November • After each submission date, you’ll have 10 days to complete peer feedback. At the end of each feedback period, you’ll receive your tutor feedback.

This interactive online course has limited places. Book early to avoid missing out.

I watched the odd-looking boy across the street, rearranging the plants and flowers. His face obscured by the massive beanie, pulled down low. His long coat, scraping the ground. He shuffled awkwardly, towards the wooden ladder outside the florist shop. My attention then turned to the rumbling of thunder, as a massive, grey, storm cloud descended over the boy’s head. The ladder was instantly incinerated in a blinding flash of lightning. Glancing upward, the boy’s beanie slipped and I caught a glimpse of his face. “Oh, woe is me!” he whined. My suspicions were confirmed, it was, undeniably…Schleprock. Perihan Bozkurt, LANE COVE

Calling all writers!!! Please get in touch.

We would love to publish your 100-word stories, or your short stories – both fiction and non-fiction. editor@thevillageobserver. com.au Each month, we will bring you news on an online or local writing course that may suit you. Hopefully we can be of some use, and fingers crossed you will send us what you’ve got!