Ironbark Hill by Jennie Linnane is billed as a story about an aged painter, looking back on her life and reminiscing. This is actually a story about a young girl, seduced in her hormonal prime, by an older, married man. The story begins with the youthful idea of a pet, in this case a cow, and an evil step-parent who is planning to sell the cow to make up, in part, for their own financial foibles. Most of these are caused by drink; a time-honored theme with parents in generally, and step-parents in particular. Adding fuel to this, is the fact that the protagonist, Natalie, is of mixed race, her father being an aboriginal.
The story is painted of an arrangement of employment that Natalie has with one of the wealthy families in town. Again, the
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This alone, in the #MeToo movement is less than savory. I grew up with stories of this type, and while those were written in a different time, I am not certain that modern writers should be writing and shaping these types of relationships this way.
All in all, the descriptive writing of a young girls blossoming sexuality is beautifully told, culminating in the final seductions scene in the attic, after a ruined evening of what was supposed to be dress up. The very thing she was not able to do BECAUSE of her blossoming body – have a ‘coming out” to the world – ends up being a solo affair, more for the benefit of a much older man, who is also married.
Again, the strength of this novel is the description of both place and character. I feel like I know this character, and many of the ones in the book, I am just not sure I like the characters. I don’t really like the story itself, except for the part about the cow, and how karma can play a role when we least expect it. I would have just preferred something a little less pedophiliac and a little more woman power. This was not that book, and that’s fine; the writing is such as I can see why others would enjoy it. I rate this a 2 out of 4