"It's not what we forget
But what was never known we most regret
Discovery of"
Stephen Edgar
Welcome to the month of May's book: The Railwayman's Wife by Ashley Hay. I have listed some points for discussion and to think about as you read the journey of Annika, Roy and Frank.
About the book
In a small town on the land’s edge, in the strange space at a war’s end, a widow, a poet and a doctor each try to find their own peace, and their own new story. In Thirroul, in 1948, people chase their dreams through the books in the railway’s library.
Anikka Lachlan searches for solace after her life is fractured by a single random act.
Roy McKinnon, who found poetry in the mess of war, has lost his words and his hope.
Frank Draper is trapped by the guilt of those his treatment and care failed on their fi rst day of freedom.
All three struggle with the same question: how now to be alive.
Written in clear, shining prose and with an eloquent understanding of the human heart, The Railwayman’s Wife explores the power of beginnings and endings, and how hard it can be sometimes to tell them apart. It’s a story of life, loss and what comes after; of connection and separation, longing and acceptance. Most of all, it celebrates love in all its forms, and the beauty of discovering that loving someone can be as extraordinary as being loved yourself.
A story that will break your heart with hope.
About the author
Ashley Hay is the author of five previous books including Gum, Museum (with visual artist Robyn Stacey) and The Body in the Clouds - her first novel, which was shortlisted for a number of prizes including categories in the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize and the New South Wales and West Australian Premier’s Awards, and longlisted for the 2011 International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award.
A former literary editor of The Bulletin, she contributes to a number of publications including The Monthly, Australian Geographic, and The Australian, and her essays and short stories have appeared in volumes including Brothers and Sisters (2009), various issues of the Griffith Review, Best Australian Essays (2003), Best Australian Short Stories (2012), and Best Australian Science Writing (2012).
She lives in Brisbane.
Reviews & Quotes
‘Ashley Hay’s beautiful romance of grief and love set in the escarpment landscape that once enchanted D.H. Lawrence will come to speak for the south coast in the same way that Delia Falconer’s The Service of Clouds speaks for the Blue Mountains.
Everything about this novel – sudden loss, unexpected love, misdirected hope and desire, as well as the mysterious power of the written word and the candesence of the coastal landscape itself – is expressed with a profound understanding of every nuance of emotion. An extended meditation on ‘the limitless surprise of being here’, to quote from the poem that is central to the story, The Railwayman’s Wife illuminates the deepest places of the human heart.’ - Debra Adelaide, author of The Household Guide to Dying.
Everything about this novel – sudden loss, unexpected love, misdirected hope and desire, as well as the mysterious power of the written word and the candesence of the coastal landscape itself – is expressed with a profound understanding of every nuance of emotion. An extended meditation on ‘the limitless surprise of being here’, to quote from the poem that is central to the story, The Railwayman’s Wife illuminates the deepest places of the human heart.’ - Debra Adelaide, author of The Household Guide to Dying.
For discussion:
1. In Paula Grunseit’s review of The Railwayman’s Wife, she states ‘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.’
Discuss Grunseit’s comment – how do these sounds and sights punctuate the novel, and bracket the major events within?
2. Consider the following quote: ‘...Mac raised his cup and paused – the smallest toast – that was marriage, he thought, remaking yourself in someone else’s image. And who knew where the truth of it began or would end?’ The Railwayman’s Wife, p. 169.
Do you agree with Mac’s interpretation of marriage?
3. In response to Isabel’s question about where Mac is after death, along with fallen soldiers, Annika states: ‘It’s probably like your kaleidoscope: you look at one piece of space, and every tiny twist or turn multiplies that into somewhere new – somewhere different. More than enough room for everyone’s version of everyone to fit in somewhere, to be doing different things we all think they ought to be doing.’ The Railwayman’s Wife, p. 175.
Discuss Annika’s thoughts and feelings when confronted with information and anecdotes about Mac after his death.
4. Both Mac and Roy think of Annika as an angel. Why do you think this is so?
5. What do you make of the conversation between Dr Frank Draper and Annika in the library, on their first meeting? (pp. 99 – 102)
6. Consider Roy’s poem, ‘Lost World’ (the poem appears in its entirety pp. 208 – 210). Do you think it is a nexus between the world he has seen torn apart by war, and what he has found in Thirroul.
7. Annika carries Kangaroo ‘like a literary Baedeker’ (page 21), using it to identify places around Thirroul. Discuss
Suggested Reading
Novels:
Kangaroo – D.H. Lawrence
Jane Eyre – Charlotte Brontë
Foal’s Bread – Gillian Mears
The Service of Clouds – Delia Falconer
In Falling Snow – Mary-Rose MacColl
Currawalli Street – Christopher Morgan
The Body in the Clouds – Ashley Hay
Poetry:
Everyone Sang – Siegfried Sassoon
How Do I Love Thee? – Elizabeth Barrett Browning
On Being Asked for a War Poem – W.B. Yeats
Aedh Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven – W.B. Yeats
History of the Day – Stephen Edgar
‘Over the Brazier – Robert Graves
Credit: Allen & Unwin's Reading Guide
