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A review by nomadjg
Over de rand van de wereld by Tim Winton
4.0
4 1/2 - Except for the penultimate part of the novel dragging on a bit and an ever so slightly overly dramatic or sentimental ending, this would have been a 5. Having said that, there are three main things I loved about the book.
First, I love the way Winton locates us in a place. He describes the natural surroundings so vividly, explains the character of the microcosm of society represented in White Point thoroughly but subtlely, and when you read his words, you know an Australian is guiding you through the sometimes frightening or disturbing tour of the lives of two rather star-crossed, seriously damaged lovers. I have a ton of Australian flora and fauna and phrases to look up at the moment. Since my primary interest in literature deals with post-colonialism and the Englishes of the former British Empire, I was rather thrilled to find that his novel seemed fully Australian without the colonial baggage and at the same time dealt with the language and problems inherited by the British. For example, he offered a sad portrayal of attitudes toward Aboriginals, partly caused by the way that the continent, a penal colony, was settled and led by the British. The two aboriginal characters in the novel were unusual and represented something bordering on mystical which is a vaguely colonial way of looking at indigenous populations. Those characters' speech was different from the non-Aboriginal Australians, but their language wasn't made to sound "broken" and included Aboriginal words. Additionally, I felt that they were pretty well-rounded characters. Winton also expressed how Australia, while vast and remote, has rather deep connections to Asia geographically which I was interested in too, but Winton also showed ways in which outsiders and Asian immigrants weren't accepted by the community.
Secondly, I enjoyed how completely messed up and loveable the two main characters were and how much their survival depended on their relationship- a bit unusual. Also, they are characters I now feel like I know and that I felt frustrated with at times.
Finally, the novel dealt poignantly with universal themes such as coming to grips with death and loss and finding meaning in life along with allusions and references to religious salvation in a Christian context with phrases such as "fisher of men" and saying "Luther" might have been named "Calvin". I love it when authors use such allusions to bring resonance to their work and he is among that number. The references to the great English writers and great music didn't hurt either.
First, I love the way Winton locates us in a place. He describes the natural surroundings so vividly, explains the character of the microcosm of society represented in White Point thoroughly but subtlely, and when you read his words, you know an Australian is guiding you through the sometimes frightening or disturbing tour of the lives of two rather star-crossed, seriously damaged lovers. I have a ton of Australian flora and fauna and phrases to look up at the moment. Since my primary interest in literature deals with post-colonialism and the Englishes of the former British Empire, I was rather thrilled to find that his novel seemed fully Australian without the colonial baggage and at the same time dealt with the language and problems inherited by the British. For example, he offered a sad portrayal of attitudes toward Aboriginals, partly caused by the way that the continent, a penal colony, was settled and led by the British. The two aboriginal characters in the novel were unusual and represented something bordering on mystical which is a vaguely colonial way of looking at indigenous populations. Those characters' speech was different from the non-Aboriginal Australians, but their language wasn't made to sound "broken" and included Aboriginal words. Additionally, I felt that they were pretty well-rounded characters. Winton also expressed how Australia, while vast and remote, has rather deep connections to Asia geographically which I was interested in too, but Winton also showed ways in which outsiders and Asian immigrants weren't accepted by the community.
Secondly, I enjoyed how completely messed up and loveable the two main characters were and how much their survival depended on their relationship- a bit unusual. Also, they are characters I now feel like I know and that I felt frustrated with at times.
Finally, the novel dealt poignantly with universal themes such as coming to grips with death and loss and finding meaning in life along with allusions and references to religious salvation in a Christian context with phrases such as "fisher of men" and saying "Luther" might have been named "Calvin". I love it when authors use such allusions to bring resonance to their work and he is among that number. The references to the great English writers and great music didn't hurt either.