The Weekend by Charlotte Wood

 

Before I started reading Charlotte Wood’s The Weekend I revisited two of her earlier works, Animal People and The Submerged Cathedral to remind myself of how warm and true her writing is. People, places and animals are beautifully real and it becomes important quite quickly to follow their steps through to their individual destinations. 

In The Weekend although the author is writing about three women a generation older than she is she understands all of them (this from my perspective as one of the older generation). Wendy is a respected academic who has written several successful books and is contemplating another; she misses her late husband terribly, worries about her relationships with her adult children and is devoted to her old dog, Finny. Jude has also had a successful career as a restaurateur and has been involved with a married man for the last forty years. Adele misses her life as a respected, and employed, actress and although in her seventies is still to find stability, both personally and professionally. 

The three old friends meet up to spend a Christmas weekend clearing out the house of a late friend and getting it ready to be sold. It is impossible not to become deeply immersed in the lives of the three friends, poor old Finny the labradoodle and the stunningly imagined Hawksbury area where the story takes place. It is a weekend when hurtful truths surface and friendships are tested to their limits. 

I love Charlotte Wood’s books. It is hard to place this one in order of preference. I felt personally connected to the locations and situations in The Submerged Cathedral and it has a place in my heart so I can’t be objective enough to say it is her best, even though I want to (if you know what I mean). Animal People takes a day in a man’s life and makes for compelling reading which, once again, creates a vibrant atmosphere in which I truly felt I was spending the day with him. Charlotte Wood’s imagination is a thing of wonder. 

 5 stars out of 5 for The Weekend.

Published by Allen & Unwin.