On Brunswick Ground

 On Brunswick Ground

Reviewed By  Janet Mawdesley       August 26, 2015

 

Author  Catherine de Saint Phalle

Distributor:     
ISBN:                 9781921924873
Publisher:         Transit Lounge
Release Date:    

   Website:   http://www.transitlounge.com

FaceBook:    

YouTube:   

Instagram:   

X Formally Twitter:    

Woven together in a delicate manner the stories of four women are told in the aftermath of the murder of Jill Meagher: a senseless killing carried out in their local neighbourhood.

Told by the storyteller, or narrator, we never really know who she is other than she too has her demons, and by meeting with and sharing her journey with the others she and they hope, that in time, healing and acceptance will come to each of them.

In so many ways this is a powerful look at the ripples left after trauma; how it reaches out to touch so very many challenging their sense of place, self and the things they have always taken for granted.

Bernice is a radio personality, larger than life and almost living in a world of fantasy where she dreams of meeting the ideal man and having a child. The dream is almost an obsession and she drinks too much trying to cope.

Mitali is a gentle person who is a gardener where the narrator finds work. She has a deeper and sadder past that somehow seems to keep attracting the same sadness.

Sarah is the owner of the bar where Bernice and the narrator go to share a glass or two of wine from time to time.

The four women are attracted to each and build friendship based on their differences.  As their friendship grows each of them has to confront their past, their fears and in learning to move on they find that time truly does, somehow heal.

They find strength, comfort and love through this friendship which helps sustain each of them as they slowly inch forward to new beginnings and better understanding of their family and their past.

Fascinating and delicate this is a story of love and hope; of facing the darkest corners of oneself and having the bravery to challenge the past to create a new future.

The allure of the carefully chosen story line is powerful as it explores the longing and loss, along with the ever present hopefulness that makes up the human spirit.

Fiction