The Railwayman’s Wife (Ashley Hay, A&U)

Set on the south coast of NSW in Thirroul in 1948, where D H Lawrence wrote Kangaroo, this stunning novel follows the lives of several seemingly disparate characters. Dr Draper has seen the horrors of Nazi concentration camps. Roy has also been in the war, where he wrote poetry but can no longer find words. Roy’s sister Iris lives alone and cleans the house obsessively. Mac is an engine driver and trains are his business. Ani Lachlan, the railwayman’s wife, and her 10-year-old daughter Isabel, who is wise beyond her years, are coping with terrible grief. Ani takes a job in the local library where she matches books with people and their dreams. One man dreams of being a poet, another of being a doctor. Many rhythms form the soundtrack to this story—the sounds of the ocean, the words of great poets and writers, the changing views in a kaleidoscope, and the constant presence of trains. This is a heart-crunching novel about reading and writing, dreaming and hoping, loving and taking flight. It’s been a while since I felt so deeply affected by a novel and I will be very surprised if this book is not an award winner.

Paula Grunseit is a freelance journalist, editor and reviewer

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Category: Reviews