The White Cockatoo Flowers: Stories

Reviewed By  Janet Mawdesley       May 15, 2024

 

Author  Ouyang Yu

Distributor:      Transit Lounge
ISBN:                 9781923023086
Publisher:         Transit Lounge
Release Date:   April 2024  

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Conceptualised aspects of morality, change, adjustment, reflection and divergence come together in a series of small manuscripts or short stories and a novella, from acclaimed writer and poet Ouyang Yu in his first novel The White Cockatoo Flowers: Stories.

 Immigrating to Australia in 1991 Ouyang Yu faces the challenges of fitting in, the loneliness that only people adrift in a world of change can experience is palpable and in so many ways is a fine thread throughout the continuing stories as he learns an acceptance of a culture vastly different from his own.

Strung together like a row of Chinese lanterns each story tells a tale of despair, challenge and wonder based on humanity. A writer who can’t write even though he sits and tries the words won’t come, leaving him dry, wondering. As the first story begins at the stroke of Midnight on New Year’s Eve, he wonders as he watches his two children sleep.

A visit to Sydney is a fascinating reveal as he looks at the high heeled shoes worn by the women and tries to find a good place to eat, lost in loathing at his state; hungover for the night before, hot, dishevelled and once again reflects on the pathway of his life; frustration.

 And so the tone of the work is established in a somewhat disjointed style, which is frustrating to read, but creates a need to consider deeply the poetry of words written, as Ouyang Yu delves into the hidden places of the mind, the emotions gently probing at the inner thoughts so frequently hidden under the thin veneer of societies dictates.

Poignant, emotive and evocative, The White Cockatoo Flowers: Stories is a powerful work of musings that reach deep, offering a rare and talented insight into Australia, through the thoughts of a man learning to adjust to a strange and yet wonderful country.