The Women’s Pages (Debra Adelaide, Picador)

This fourth novel from well-known Australian writer Debra Adelaide pays homage to Wuthering Heights and combines a creative metatextual structure with contemplation about mothers—and the absence thereof—and motherhood. Containing a story within a story, it tells of writer Dove and her life (the recent loss of her mother, her solitary existence, reflection on the writing process) and how she grapples with her characters whose lives are more dominant than her own. It is also the story of her protagonist Ellis, a young woman from the 1960s who finds she can’t stomach coupledom and yearns for meaning outside the domestic sphere. Slowly, the fascinating story of Ellis’ own parentage and motherless childhood is unravelled. The independent Ellis ends up as a women’s magazine editor, arguably well-worn feminist typecasting. While the structure, which jumps from setting to setting, is initially a little tricky to follow, it shows the author flexing her craft and the dual narrative is ultimately satisfying. The imagery is evocative and Sydney’s changing milieus are vividly portrayed. This is an absorbing, intelligent novel for readers of contemporary fiction and those with an interest in women’s issues and family relationships. 

Joanne Shiells is a former editor and bookseller