Heather Rose (1) (1964–)

Astrid Coleman's twin JC is the Liberal Premier of Tasmania, coming up to an election in less than 6 months. Their old sister is the leader of the Labor opposition. The focus of JC's activity has been a huge bridge to connect mainland Tasmania to the island of Bruny. But now someone has bombed the nearly completed bridge. JC asks Astrid to come home. He wants her to manage public relations while he gets the re-building of the bridge agreed to. Initially she refuses but then gets an instruction from her bosses to go.

People find it very difficult to understand why the bridge is being built. It has Federal Government backing, and then JC announces that he has secured a workforce of about 300 Chinese workers to be available for the re-build immediately, and Astrid wonders what the Chinese are getting out of the deal.

This is a thought provoking novel in many ways. Astrid's parents are suffering from dementia and final-stage cancer and this adds another dimension to the story.

Rose has some interesting comments on Australian attitudes.

Awards:

Shortlisted, Best Fiction, Indie Book Awards, 2020, AU
Longlisted, Best Designed Commercial Fiction Cover, Australian Book Design Awards, 2020, AU
Winner, General Fiction Book of the Year, ABIA Awards, 2020, AU
Shortlisted, Adult Fiction Book of the Year, ABA Booksellers' Choice Awards, 2020, AU
Shortlisted, Best Crime Fiction, Davitt Awards, 2020, AU
Longlisted, Nib Literary Award, 2020, AU… (más)

This novel is a far cry from The Museum of Modern Love, and was something very different to what I expected. It's a political thriller where Ace Coleman is summoned home from her job as a UN conflict negotiator by her twin brother, the Tasmanian Premier. The bridge being built to Bruny Island has been bombed, and it is essential that the various interest groups be dealt with so that the build can be completed to the original schedule. Ace's brother asks her to do that job.

Complicating matters is that Ace's sister Max is the Opposition Leader. This aspect of the book is something I found a stretch myself; it strained credulity beyond my limits. Still, the plot was very good, with twists that I didn't see coming, and a clever nod towards Tasmania's history.… (más)

The Museum of Modern Love is a tale set against the backdrop of performance artist Marina Abramovic's gruelling 75 day performance at New York's MoMA, The Artist is Present.

Countless people came to MoMA to see Abramovic sit quietly at a table and stare quietly at a series of volunteers who sat opposite her. What does she see and think, and what do the volunteers experience?

Rose's main characters are people who become fascinated with Abramovic's show and find themselves drawn back again and again to observe this strange performance. They include: Levin, a composer rejected by his grievously ill wife; Jane, a recently-bereaved art teacher; and Brittika, a Eurasian arts student doing a thesis on Abramovic. Their reactions to what they see in Abramovic's performance allow them to break through creative and emotional barriers in their own lives and reach towards resolutions.

The novel's narrative voice occasionally drifts into a more obscure viewpoint that seems to be some kind of muse helping the characters towards these outcomes. Marina's dead mother also appears at times. I confess to not quite grasping the import of these devices, and they didn't do much for me, but overall I thought this an excellent and original novel.… (más)