A husband and wife living on a severely drought-afflicted property take a brief break, only to find that their relationship is parched, too.
As I write this review, it has been easy for most of us to push to the back of our minds the relentless drought that has ravaged Australia for years – we’ve got a pandemic now, and that’s our focus. But there are many rural Australians who have battled bushfire and drought and still not recovered from those, only to now have COVID-19 to deal with. Small Mercies was a very realistic and timely reminder of the struggles of living on the land.
After enduring months of extreme drought on their modest freehold, farming couple Dimple and Ruthie face uncertain times on more than one front, for Ruthie has also received some biopsy results back from her doctor and with it, the news every woman dreads.
Wealthy landowner, Wally Oliver, appears on the local radio station, warning small farmers like Dimple and Ruthie that they are doomed, that the sooner they leave the land to large operators like him, the better. Bracing for a fight, the couple decide to take a road trip to confront Oliver. Along the way, not only is their resolve tested, but their relationship as well.
Desperate not to dwell on the past but to face up to the future, Dimple and Ruthie make a crucial decision they soon regret. And when the storm clouds finally roll in across the land they love, there’s more than the rain to contend with.
Quite simply, Small Mercies is stunning. I cannot rave about this beautiful book enough. Richard Anderson’s writing is exceptional. I completely lost myself in every superb sentence. Sparse, simple, joyous writing, with the most realistic dialogue I’ve read in a long time. As someone with a background in theatre, I felt like I was witness to a masterful play, simply scripted, between two complex yet expertly underplayed characters. Ruthie and Dimple know each other deeply, profoundly, as only long-term lovers can. They are compelling characters, beautifully drawn, and what a refreshing change to read a book about an older couple.
Told with enormous heart, Small Mercies is a tender, character driven love story. It is a story of a couple who feel they must change to endure, and of the land that is as important as their presence on it. The setting imbued this read – I could feel, smell, hear this land, the beauty and the harshness of it.
This is the rural romance we need to read. Dimple and Ruthie are real; we all know them or of them. Their deep love for each other has been impacted by the drought as much as the land beneath them has.
I urge you to read this book for two reasons: firstly, it is an important Australian novel that shows the hardship of life for farmers, the struggle to survive not only financially but emotionally and mentally. Also, it is an example of excellence – Richard Anderson has produced a poignant tale, beautifully written and bound to become an Australian classic.
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