The Tennis Partner by Abraham Verghese

 

In his second memoir Abraham Verghese writes about living in El Paso; the deterioration of his marriage; his work as an internal medicine specialist and mentor of medical students at Texas Tech School of Medicine, and, central to all of this, his friendship with David Smith, his tennis partner.

David was an Australian who went to America straight from high school on a university tennis scholarship, later joining the junior pro tennis circuit.  By the time Abraham met him David had left the pro circuit and was an ‘extern’, which was the term  for fourth-year medical students who were given almost as much responsibility as interns. Tennis had been a passion of Abraham’s since childhood and he was thrilled when David agreed to playing a few games after work.

Abraham Verghese’s memoirs are as beautifully literary and soulful as his novels. He was a kind, compassionate, loving friend to David and he writes about him with his usual clear-eyed, non-judgmental intensity. While Abraham’s main concern was keeping his two little sons happy when he and his wife separated, he could only stand by, watch and hope as David tried to work through his own life’s struggles.

The Tennis Partner is a deeply moving, sensitive memoir from a uniquely gifted writer.  No pressure, Dr Verghese, but is there another masterpiece in the works, after Cutting for Stone and The Covenant of Water?

Published by Vintage

Rain on a Hot Tin Roof by Stella Quinn

 

Stella Quinn writes believable characters in iconic Australian settings: Rain on a Hot Tin Roof is set in the Clarence River area, a scene of particular nostalgia to me and, therefore, a particularly enjoyable read.

Felicity is attempting to restart her life after fleeing from a relationship in which she was a victim of coercive control, an all too present evil in our world in which someone’s confidence and feelings of self-worth can be destroyed in a surprisingly short time. Felicity has come back to Clarence, her home town, and is teaching at the local high school.

Luke has brought his son, Jace, to Clarence to live on the property Luke co-owns with his much older sister, Sal. He is a mining engineer working on a FIFO basis at a gold mine in Queensland, and Sal is looking forward to being a substitute parent to sixteen-year old Jace for two weeks of every fortnight while Luke is away. Luke has problems of his own, holding himself responsible for an accident in which Jace’s skull was fractured, leading Luke to give up his job and live on his savings for twelve months while he took care of Jace’s lengthy rehabilitation.

It’s a dramatic backdrop but there is light and laughter and the beautiful countryside of northern New South Wales as well as, of course, romantic tension, all written in Stella Quinn’s recognisably beautiful style. I loved it!

Published by Harper Collins

The Secret Garden Club by Wendy Lynn Newton

 

One morning three weeks before spring, Hilary Toohey found her beloved husband, George, lying dead in the garden, George having slipped on the wet paving and hit his head, dying instantly.  This is the sad beginning to the sweet, funny, whimsical story of how Hilary came to meet the members of the Secret Garden Club.

Wendy Lynn Newton writes the best dialogue. Hilary and her daughter, Bernie, have great rapport, and Hilary’s interactions with everyone she meets are all gems. There is a misunderstanding  with Hilary getting hold of the wrong end of the stick and causing herself a lot of unnecessary grief while she is already struggling to come to terms with losing George,  as well as trying to help Bernie sort out her life. The Secret Garden Club meanwhile all feel obliged to become part of Hilary’s life, to honour their obligations to George’s memory.

Passages from the writings of Henry David Thoreau through the book are all part of the general feel for love of nature, gardens and gardening. In my imaginary screen adaptation I have cast Asher Keddie as Hilary; I can see Asher delivering those cute, offbeat lines perfectly!

Published by Pan Macmillan.

My Own Country by Abraham Verghese

 

I’ve read Abraham Verghese’s stunning novels, Cutting for Stone and The Covenant of Water, and now I’ve finally gotten to his memoir, My Own Country, about his time in Tennessee, working as a doctor/researcher/infectious diseases specialist in the early days of the AIDS epidemic.

Dr Verghese has written about his research into the HIV infection which was spreading out rapidly from the big American cities to the country. He was non-judgmental towards his patients and became involved in their personal lives, showing great compassion. There was a lot of fear of the unknown about AIDS, even among medical professionals, and Abraham worked hard to make sure his patients got the best treatment available. He spent a lot of time with them and their families, and sometimes unwound by having a game of tennis or long, solitary walks after work; this dedication to his work sometimes meant he wasn’t able to give his wife and two little boys the time and attention he should have, which by the end of the book appeared to be leading to troubles with his marriage.

There are a lot of  graphic descriptions of patients’ symptoms and medical procedures, but there is also so much of Abraham’s heart and soul poured into this memoir, it all makes for an unforgettable, beautifully literary read.

I’ve just spent some of my Mother’s Day present money on ordering The Tennis Partner, which I will now eagerly await.

Published by Vintage Books

Storybook Soul by Sarah Todman

 

This is a little book of poetry from the beautiful mind of Sarah Todman. Its contents are: ‘heart stories’, ‘head stories’, and ‘stories’.

I loved every one of these poems, as will everyone who reads them. If, in baring her soul, Sarah was able to reach so deeply into mine, I know she will find her way into anyone else’s who is lucky enough to read this exquisite collection.

I want to talk about individual poems but then again I want everyone to have the experience of reading them for the first time. I will though just mention one story: ‘if you hit the red dirt’. This is perfection in a poem.

Thank you so much for sharing your poetry, Sarah. I’m going back now to read it all again.

Billie King by Shannon Kelly-White

 

Stirring! Heartbreaking! Fair dinkum! Beautiful! I’ve run out of adjectives; it’s a bit hard to think, smiling through my tears. My parents were children of Depression-era Australia, and if they were still around today I think they would say Shannon Kelly-White has nailed it. 

Heroes come in all kinds of shapes and sizes, and there are some true heroes in this story. Billie King lives with her broken down, alcoholic father, Ken. She knows Ken loves her but he is unable to provide adequately for her, and she goes to school wearing ragged clothes which makes her an object of derision for the kids at school. As well, she is beaten by the judgmental, sadistic Sister Claire; so school isn’t where Billie wants to be. Billie has a burning need to find her mother, Anna, who disappeared when Billie was a baby.

This is the story of Billie’s search for Anna. The story is written in the Australian vernacular which it makes it even more poignant, somehow. There are some shining, beautiful souls out there in the bush, from the lady bushranger to the carnival boxer. I was taken back to my childhood when we were given a half day off to go to the Brookvale show; the scary drumbeat, the skinny young fellas in their robes standing up on the platform, inviting the punters to come up and have a go at knocking one of them out.

Shannon Kelly-White writes about animals with the kind of sensitivity which would have made the late Jilly Cooper proud. Billie King belongs with Cloud Street and Boy Swallows Universe as an Australian classic. I feel privileged to have read it; I congratulate Shannon Kelly-White and I thank NetGalley for giving me this opportunity.

Published by Harper Collins

Honey by Imani Thompson

 

As I got into this book I kept thinking in the back of my mind that it would be a hard one to review; that is, until I got to the serial killer bit, and I was back in my comfort zone.

Yrsa is doing a PHD at Cambridge on ‘how Afropessimism is shaping black women’s discourses on their liberation’. Yrsa’s interactions with her parents and especially her Caribbean grandmother have influenced her way of thinking as well as, of course, her studies into her chosen PHD subject.  She has a genuine need to protest on behalf of black women’s rights, but she has become obsessed, thereupon opening the box in which her basic instincts have been hiding, and now she doesn’t want to put the lid back on.

Yrsa kills bad men who need killing. She doesn’t waste much thought on her victims after each deed is done, except for making sure she doesn’t get caught. She also hooks up with men she is attracted to but hates. There are some funny lines through the book, such as …“Why can’t she just shag in peace? Why do men have to speak?” but as Yrsa’s mental state appears to deteriorate they’re not so funny any more. There is an important clue towards the end of the book which goes a long way towards explaining how Yrsa acts the way she does, and is the kind of thing that stories like this one usually start with. Honey was altogether a very interesting read.

Thank you NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book. I hope Imani Thompson is planning on writing more.

Published by Harper Collins