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kimho 's review for:
Until the Red Leaves Fall
by Alli Parker
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
'Until the Red Leaves Fall' made me feel more than most books I've read this year; it made me viscerally angry, it made me cry, it made me fist-pump the air in triumph. Alli Parker is a dear friend so I was always going to love this, but I truly believe she's written something very special here.
What strikes me most about this novel is what a tightrope it walks -- miraculously, effortlessly. It's an ardent defence of story sovereignty, but without any of the postmodern selfconsciousness that so often plagues 'meta' stories. It's a sophisticated rumination on race, gender and sexuality in so-called 'Australia', but it never sacrifices plot, moving at a cracking pace through wonderful twists and turns. And it's a historical novel that speaks to contemporary concerns without feeling anachronistic.
Through her heroine Emiko Tanaka / Emmy Darling, a mixed-race Japanese-Australian housewife and playwright who is able to pass as white (just), Alli cracks open notions of artifice vs authenticity, secrecy vs self-preservation, courage vs cowardice. 'Red Leaves' restores both Japanese-Australian and queer narratives to our cultural imaginary of 1950s Melbourne in ways that feel both perfectly natural and wonderfully fresh.
Readers who enjoyed Alli's debut 'At the Foot of the Cherry Tree' are in for a treat. The books speak to one another in really interesting ways, but can be enjoyed on their own (and in either order). This sister-novel-of-sorts has all the sincerity and heart of the first, but it's also pricklier, bolder, and more effervescent. Highly, highly recommend!
What strikes me most about this novel is what a tightrope it walks -- miraculously, effortlessly. It's an ardent defence of story sovereignty, but without any of the postmodern selfconsciousness that so often plagues 'meta' stories. It's a sophisticated rumination on race, gender and sexuality in so-called 'Australia', but it never sacrifices plot, moving at a cracking pace through wonderful twists and turns. And it's a historical novel that speaks to contemporary concerns without feeling anachronistic.
Through her heroine Emiko Tanaka / Emmy Darling, a mixed-race Japanese-Australian housewife and playwright who is able to pass as white (just), Alli cracks open notions of artifice vs authenticity, secrecy vs self-preservation, courage vs cowardice. 'Red Leaves' restores both Japanese-Australian and queer narratives to our cultural imaginary of 1950s Melbourne in ways that feel both perfectly natural and wonderfully fresh.
Readers who enjoyed Alli's debut 'At the Foot of the Cherry Tree' are in for a treat. The books speak to one another in really interesting ways, but can be enjoyed on their own (and in either order). This sister-novel-of-sorts has all the sincerity and heart of the first, but it's also pricklier, bolder, and more effervescent. Highly, highly recommend!