On Brunswick Ground (Catherine De Saint Phalle, Transit Lounge)

Catherine De Saint Phalle’s novel takes Jill Meagher’s rape and murder in 2012 as the basis for a meditation on grief. The story follows five women in the Melbourne suburb of Brunswick where Meagher was attacked. The women live within walking distance of each other and each is in mourning of some kind. Some are coming to terms with a relationship breakdown or the death of a family member or friend, while others are battling less obvious forms of loss. This might sound morbid or overly serious, but Saint Phalle’s writing is quietly enriching and her focus on nature binds the story to the rhythm of days. Birds, trees and gardens are anchors for these women, providing solace from the world, just as their friendships do. Meagher’s murder deeply affected the residents of Brunswick; ‘Something about her being raped and murdered in Brunswick has ripped the fabric of the neighbourhood. The light itself seems to have suffered a rent and let in something that wasn’t there before,’ writes Saint Phalle. On Brunswick Ground is a patchwork weaving the neighbourhood whole again.  

Pip Newling is a freelance writer and former bookseller