review A BOOK LOVER’S REVIEW BY JACQUI SERAFIM
Love Objects
ALF & PEARL POLLARD MEMORIAL AWARDS ~ CONCERT ~ FOR PERFORMANCE EXCELLENCE HELD IN ASSOCIATION WITH SYDNEY EISTEDDFOD.
“Music for Love 7.30 p.m. and Laughter” LANE COVE-MOWBRAY ANGLICAN CHURCH TUESDAY 7th DECEMBER 2021
19 ROSENTHAL AVENUE, LANE COVE
by Emily Maguire
(behind the Post Office)
featuring
Ten of the most John outstanding solo instrumentalists between Martin (piano) and the ages of 12 and 15 years will be selected from the 2021 Victoria Jacono-Gilmovich In the opening scene of Love Objects, we are introduced to Nic–Eisteddfod a for these awards. The performances will be (violin). cheerful, single, forty-five year old woman making her way home followed by an audience vote and the awarding of prizes. after her shift at the local discount department store. The third person • Tuesday 15th March 2022 narrative deftly conveys her internal dialogue as her attention switches Tickets will not be available on the night – closer to time at 7.30pm. please book on line using the Try Booking link on our between her own spontaneous musings and the objects that catch website www.lanecovemusic.org.au her attention on her way home. She is clearly warm and likeable and • Venue: Lane Coveher thought processes appear rational. It is soon evident to the reader, Mowbray Anglican Church, Enquiries welcome, 9428 4287. however, that her behaviour is unusual as she removes a poster from
a telegraph pole, folds it carefully and tucks it in her handbag and carefully picks up a baby doll’s bonnet from under the swings at the local park and places it in a plastic bag to take home.
Outside her home, Nic lives a “normal” life: she holds down a job, presents a well-kept facade to the world, babysits local children and meets her niece weekly for lunch. But Nic is a hoarder and her home is filled to the brim with all the items she has diligently collected and stored over the years. Nic has filled her life and her home with “love objects”. These are items judged by others to be “junk” and “clutter” but, to Nic, they are imbued with emotional connection. The catalyst for action is that Nic suffers a fall in her home and is hospitalised. It is her niece, Lena, who comes to her aid and discovers the extent of her hoarding disorder behind the locked doors of Nic’s home. Twenty-year-old Lena has her own challenges with trying to support herself through university and navigating her way through the minefield of social relationships in the digital world. Lena sets out to “help” her aunt by clearing her clutter, unaware of the potential ramifications to their relationship. When Lena’s brother, Will, travels home from Queensland to help Lena care for their beloved aunt he is damaged, destitute and heartbroken. All together under one roof, they are forced to confront their painful past and the issues in their relationships. Emily Maguire’s Love Objects is an unflinching but sympathetic portrayal of complex family relationships. It also addresses the issues of sexual consent, the politics of economic status and the social and emotional implications of power. The narrative switches between the perspectives of the three central characters and the challenges that each one is facing in their own lives and in their relationships. Each of them feels trapped by generational poverty and each of them loses control of a critical aspect of their lives. Nevertheless, their family ties are strong, their love is bruised but not broken and they are able to help each other to heal and move forward.
This is a compassionate portrait of mental illness and generational hardship and a beautiful, hopeful depiction of the strength of love in families and its power.
Rosenthal Avenue, Lane Cove.
Don’t miss the first of Lane Cove Music’s six 2022 concerts programmed for Tuesday 15th March at 7.30pm. You will enjoy a kaleidoscope of musical styles and moods including the works of Brahms, Chopin, de Falla, Debussy, Kats-Chernin, Noel Coward, along with ragtime and jazz-era gems. Booking is essential due to Covid-safe requirements and we regret tickets will NOT be available at the door. For more information please visit our website www.lanecovemusic.org.au where bookings will open early March. Enquiries welcome, please ‘phone 9428 4287. Future concert 2022 dates here for your diary: 10th May, 21st June, 9th August, 11th October, 29th November.
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