A review by tasmanian_bibliophile
The Axeman's Carnival by Catherine Chidgey

4.0

 

‘People tell bad stories about magpies.’ 

Central Otago, New Zealand. Marnie and her husband Rob run a struggling sheep farm. Rob is trying to make the farm profitable, while also training for his 10th consecutive Golden Axe at the forthcoming annual Axeman’s Carnival. Marnie has tried to decorate the decaying house with her handmade cushions, but they are both aware that other family members are doing much better. 

A magpie chick is rescued by Marnie. She names the chick Tamagotchi, which is soon shortened to Tama. Rob says he will ring Tama’s neck if he keeps him awake, but Tama provides Marnie with both companionship and a sense of purpose. 

Tama is the narrator of this book, and the story unfolds through his eyes. He learns to speak, and while he misses his magpie family (and does return to them briefly for a while), Marnie becomes the centre of his world. Marnie confides in Tama, and he sees for himself the violence in her marriage. 

‘And I did not trust him and I was right not to trust him.’ 

Tama hides various items belonging to Rob under the bath where no one can find them. When Marnie catches him one day, she laughs and videos him. Yes, social media becomes a big part of this story. Tama has many followers: Marnie dresses him in different costumes, he mimics human speech, and his catchcry becomes ‘Don’t you dare’. Meanwhile, Rob continues to train for the Axeman’s Carnival. His personal best times are not as good as he wants, and he takes his frustration out on Marnie. And while Marnie’s despair leads her to call a talkback radio program, she stays with Rob. Of course, not everyone is enamoured of Tama’s role as a feathered influencer and danger lurks. 

This is such a brilliant story. Tama is the perfect narrator: able to provide a bird’s eye view (sorry) of domestic violence, reporting what he sees without necessarily understanding the context. And he doesn’t need to: Marnie becomes the centre of his universe. 

How does it end?  You’ll need to read it for yourself. 

Note: My thanks to NetGalley and Allen & Unwin for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes. 

Jennifer Cameron-Smith