And in the Morning (Lenny Robinson, University of Queensland Press)

Lenny Robinson’s historical fiction debut, And in the Morning, quietly observes the grief of 3 Australian women grappling with their personal experiences of major international conflicts.

Moving between distinct character perspectives, the novel uses year-titled chapters to orient readers across different eras of war and loss.

Lil, in 1919, finds herself skating around the secrets her husband is keeping after returning from World War I. Frankie, who appears in 1942, works in Melbourne in the war effort, and begins a romance with Eddie days before he is due to set sail for World War II. In 1969, during the more controversial Vietnam War era, Fran reels after the death of her son.

Although the heavy themes of death and suicide are to be expected given the historical period and narrow focus of And in the Morning, they are not handled in a graphic way. The novel gives each character room to breathe, preventing the pain of loss from overwhelming the reading experience, while minute observations throughout bring some much-needed beauty and levity. It should be noted that Robinson makes assumptions about the audience’s prior knowledge of the wars depicted, which may prevent some readers from fully engaging.

Overall, And in the Morning tells an important and often underacknowledged story about those left to pick up the pieces after devastating conflict, and the human capacity to process grief.

Books+Publishing reviewer: Eleanor Jackson is a reader with years of experience in children’s bookselling. She is passionate about books with a strong, important message and excellent writing. Books+Publishing is Australia’s number-one source of pre-publication book reviews.

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