A stunning evocation of Australian life through the war to the 1950s, this novel is intimate and sweeping, immediate and dreamlike – a magical rendering of darkness and joy, and the beauty inherent in difference.
Connie Starr was always a difficult child. Her mother knew as soon as Connie entered the world that day in Ballarat in 1934 and opened her lungs to scream – there was more chaos in the world than before, and it wouldn’t leave until Connie did. From the safety of a branch high in her lemon tree where she speaks to angels, she sees the world for what it is – a swirling mass of beauty and darkness, of trauma and family, of love and war and truth and lies – lies that might just undo her and drive her to a desperate act.
This ambitious, complex and insightful novel intertwines numerous stories of lives from before World War II and beyond, recreating with intimacy and breadth a world that is now lost to us. This book is a brightly coloured patchwork quilt of everything from shoes to polio, lemon trees to rivers, death to life that melds into one beautiful, luminous work of art.
Robbi Neal is an author and painter who has spent most of her life living in regional Victoria where she currently calls Ballarat home. Her latest novel, The Secret World of Connie Starr, is set in Ballarat – in fact, she lives mere blocks away from many locations in the novel. Neal’s own grandfather was a preacher in the local church, the same church where Connie Starr’s father is a pastor in this novel. Neal’s connection to these settings and community lends this book a wonderful authenticity.
Connie Starr takes you into the heart of the Ballarat community from the moment Connie is born, exploring those difficult years during and after the war. The emotions and pain prevalent in this time are vividly portrayed. Through Connie’s young, inquisitive eyes, readers gain insight into a period of history which changed the lives of many. Spanning nearly twenty years and focusing on a wide cast of characters from Connie’s family and community, the novel flows seamlessly through each captivating chapter. From a young man at the bombing of Darwin to another suffering from polio, Neal intertwines these moving stories using their connection to Connie. The index showing the members of each family in “Connie’s World” comes in handy.
Lovers of historical fiction, especially of the ever-impressive homegrown variety, will adore Neal’s novel which is making its mark. This is the kind of historical fiction that sweeps you up and doesn’t let go. A read worth savouring.
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