It took me a while to get into this book, but once I got used to the dreamlike narrative, it was a great read. The story left me chasing and guessing, lost in the wilds of Central Otago.
Author: Thalia Henry
Genre: Literary
Page Count: 254 pages
My Rating: **** 4 / 5
The Blurb
Set amidst the physical and psychological landscapes of New Zealand’s southern hills and grasslands, Beneath Pale Water is a social realist and expressionistic novel that follows a triangle of three damaged individuals – a sculptor, a vagrant and a model – who have grown calcified shells against the world. Their search for identity and belonging leads them into dangerous territory that threatens both their sanity and lives. As their protective shells crack they are left vulnerable – both physically and emotionally – to the high country winds and their own conflicts that, ultimately, might free or destroy them.
The Verdict
Wow – that blurb tells precisely nothing of what the book is actually about!
From the first page, the author weaves magic with her words – poetic and precise, often getting to the sad and messy truth of things. The book is structured in four sections for the four seasons. It starts off as if we are watching through the heat shimmer of summer, a dreamy and idealistic view. We explore, through vivid descriptions, the rugged landscapes of Central Otago, with three strangers coming on the scene, almost as a little afterthought.
Delia is a sculptor, who is very imaginative, a little obsessive. By the lake, she meets Luke. He is a drifter with a lot of secrets, and we find out early on that he resembles Delia’s boyfriend who died. Delia takes a liking to him and envies the freedom of his lifestyle. Jane is the third main character. She is the sculptor’s model.
About a third of the way into the book, the pace picks up a bit as we start uncovering more about how the three lives are intertwined, and the relationships are as complex and psychologically deep as real life. It almost feels as if we are chasing the three around the lakes, orchards and pubs, getting confused and backtracking as we try to unravel what is real and what is not.
This book can be confronting and a bit uncomfortable at times. It is a dark read, almost gothic in its outlook. Although I found the characters quite hard to relate to initially, I think this story is perhaps more about who we are, than who we wish we were. The characters are all trying to come to terms with loss in healthy and unhealthy ways. It is about the masks we wear and the realities we create for ourselves and about freedom and responsibility.