Review: The Extraordinary Florence Stoker by Karen Brooks

* Copy courtesy of HQ Fiction *

The Extraordinary Florence Stoker by Karen Brooks is about the life of Florence Balcombe, the fiercely intelligent young woman who courted Oscar Wilde but went on to marry Bram Stoker, who famously penned the gothic horror novel Dracula. The novel takes place between 1876 - 1937, and while Dracula was published in 1897 and features heavily in the second half of Florence's life, you don't need to have read it in order to understand or appreciate her story.

Growing up in Dublin, Florence fell in love with the talented and flamboyant Irish writer Oscar Wilde however their relationship didn't last and ended after approximately two years. I thoroughly enjoyed their clever and quick-witted dialogue which continued when Florence met Bram Stoker.

"Well, in that you're wrong. There's nothing more fashionable than outrage - moral outrage especially. And Oscar excels at that - and not just in fiction." Page 319 

Florence is extremely well read and desperate to leave Ireland and Bram wants to be a writer so the two marry and follow their dreams to London. Brooks is able to bring Victorian era London to life so well I could almost hear the hustle and bustle of the city and see the smuts clinging to the curtains.

Going into this, I thought Bram Stoker was a lawyer and writer, but I didn't know he was also a critic and spent the majority of his career working as a theatre manager for famous actor Henry Irving.

Florence dislikes Irving from their first interaction and struggles to accept Bram's loyalty and dedication to the man in the face of his unceasing demands. The relationship between the two seemed to me to be one of devoted and adoring employee ensnared by a selfish and arrogant narcissist who gradually drains the life force from this brilliant man.

This serves as a constant strain on Florence's marriage and the writing was so effective I found my own temperature rising and teeth clenching. In fact, if I wasn't holding the book I think my hands would have been balled up in fists as I willed Bram to quit his post or at least exit Henry Irving's overbearing orbit.

This marital drama is offset by the kind of salons and events you and I can only dream of attending, with plenty of prominent names from the world of literature, music, theatre, art and politics.

"Time is described in a myriad of ways by poets, writers, artists, merchants and even ordinary folk. We're all at its mercy in one way or another. We have too little, or too much. We rush, we loiter; we spend it wisely or foolishly. Too often we neglect to consider its passing until, one day, something happens to draw attention to what we've squandered. Then, all the days, weeks, months and years that have been and gone concertina into a singular terrible moment where time stands completely still. This was that moment." Page 327

Readers hoping for an insight into the creation of classics like The Picture Of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde or Dracula by Bram Stoker will of course find it here, but you needn't have read either in order to enjoy Florence's role in them both. Oscar Wilde's court case features in Florence's story and I found myself judging her harshly for her lack of support during and following his trial and subsequent sentencing.

Bram only manages to write in scarce snatches of time and I enjoyed the insight into his childhood, learning he spent the first seven years of his life as an invalid. His interest in eerie folk tales - often told to him by his nurse and mammy - were evident and I can't help but wonder what else he would have written if he'd had more time. Florence lived to the age of 78 and we follow her life to the end, so we expect to read about Oscar Wilde's passing but I was disappointed that the death of her dear friend Ellen Terry only warranted the barest mention.

After Bram's death, the film adaptation Nosferatu in 1927 changed Florence's life. I had no idea about the protracted copyright battle over the film and I'll admit this drawn out legal fight became a little tedious to read about for me. Florence Stoker's determined battle for copyright was unwavering and her hard-won accomplishment is still felt today.

"Because of Florence Stoker, from this day forward, an author's copyright will be enshrined in every single deal that's made. Every contract will now include a clause protecting the creator's rights, whether it be for film, theatre, and maybe even for that new-fangled invention." Page 527

The Extraordinary Florence Stoker by Karen Brooks is expertly researched and Florence was an interesting and accomplished woman in her own right. She supported her husband despite their intimacy problems and sacrificed her health and reputation to ensure his life's work was protected.

Karen Brooks is also the Australian author behind The Good Wife of Bath set in the 1300s, which I thoroughly enjoyed reading last year. It takes great skill to write about the middle ages and the Victorian era with equal measure and I still have two of her other historical fiction novels - The Chocolate Maker's Wife (set in 1600s) and The Whisky Widow (set in 1700s) - on my TBR to enjoy.

The Extraordinary Florence Stoker by Karen Brooks will appeal to fans of historical fiction with an interest in the literary scene of Victorian era London.

My Rating:

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Carpe Librum!

Review: The Greatest Traybake Cookbook Ever by John Gregory-Smith

It's time to find a few new favourite recipes to change up the dinner menu here at Carpe Librum and I kicked off my culinary search with The Greatest Traybake Cookbook Ever. John Gregory-Smith is a chef, TV presenter and best-selling author specialising in Middle Eastern and North African cuisine and this is his eighth cookbook.

So far, we've tried 'Elektra's Greek Chicken Traybake' and 'Spicy 'Nduja Cannelloni', and they were both delicious. Made using fresh lasagne sheets, the cannelloni instantly become a new favourite and we've made it twice since then. There were a few key ingredients we didn't have - like the nduja paste - but we made do with sweet chilli sauce instead. Has anyone tried 'nduja paste? What's it like?

I don't know about you, but I prefer to borrow cookbooks from the library as they're often expensive, take up precious bookshelf space and I never know if there will be any recipes worth keeping or making again.

The book promises 100 effortless traybake recipes using supermarket ingredients, yet of the two recipes I’ve made so far, one calls for an ingredient I couldn’t find in Australia’s biggest supermarket chain; so there's that.

We're looking forward to trying the author's recipe for the 'Baharat-Spiced Chicken with Sweet Potato Wedges' and 'Quick-Cook Lamb Ragu' next.

The Greatest Traybake Cookbook Ever by John Gregory-Smith was published this year and is recommended for basic home cooks who like the idea of cooking a main meal in one oven tray.

My Rating:

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Carpe Librum!

Review: Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel

Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel is the second book in the Wolf Hall trilogy by Hilary Mantel and commences in September 1535. Thomas Cromwell is about fifty years old now and holds the title of Master Secretary. I'm reading this as part of the Wolf Crawl slow read and was pleased to discover the superb writing in evidence in Wolf Hall is also present here. The connection between the two books is absolutely seamless, despite the three years between publication.

Cromwell is a formidable man and we are quickly reacquainted with him in the opening pages.

"No one knows where he has been and who he has met, and he is in no hurry to tell them. He never spares himself in the king's service, he knows his worth and merits and makes sure of his reward: offices, perquisites and title deeds, manor houses and farms. He has a way of getting his way, he has a method; he will charm a man or bribe him, coax him or threaten him, he will explain to a man where his true interests lie, and he will introduce that same man to aspects of himself he didn't know existed." Page 7

I love the frequent references to history in the book, a time when the forest stretched ahead for days and the forefathers of England - the giants - left their standing stones. This haunting atmosphere permeates the pages and the present here in Bring Up the Bodies. On every page I experienced the weight of foreknowledge, as Cromwell reflects on the ghosts of the past, while he is a ghost of the past to us, the reader.

This gives the writing a melancholic feeling, given we know who will succeed and who won't and the ultimate fate of the primary characters.

"It's not just the past you think of, as you ride these fields. It's what's latent in the soil, what's breeding; it's the days to come, the wars unfought, the injuries and deaths that, like seeds, the soil of England is keeping warm." Page 9

Cromwell has been an excellent father and mentor and it was interesting to see the qualities and attributes he prizes in his son Gregory and which were important 500 years ago:

"Gregory is a fine archer, a fine horseman, a shining star in the tilt yard, and his manners cannot be faulted. He speaks reverently to his superiors, not scuffling his feet or standing on one leg, and he is mild and polite with those below him. He knows how to bow to foreign diplomats in the manner of their own countries, sits at table without fidgeting or feeding spaniels, can neatly carve and joint any fowl if requested to serve his elders. He doesn't slouch around with his jacket off one shoulder, or look in windows to admire himself, or stare around in church, or interrupt old men, or finish their stories for them." Page 27-28

I've been listening to Lux by VOCES8 while compiling this review over several days and it's an album containing ethereal music covering 400 years of choral music. It perfectly embodies the feeling of history I tried to convey earlier and I can almost imagine I'm standing behind Thomas Cromwell in Westminster Abbey when I listen to it.

In Bring Up the Bodies, Cromwell tries to convince Queen Katherine to obey the king's wishes and the dialogue between them is fascinating. Here's a taste of Katherine's anger whilst speaking to Cromwell.

"There is a pause, while she turns the great pages of her volume of rage, and puts her finger on just the right word." Page 106

That word, in case you're wondering is contemptible. However just as he failed to persuade Thomas More to change his mind and take the oath, Katherine also proves to be immovable.

The king is through with Anne Boleyn after she continues to fail to give him an heir and relies on Cromwell to bring her down to make way for Jane Seymour. Cromwell does so by finding evidence of adultery against her, which is treason and punishable by death. Cromwell needs guilty men, so he finds men who are guilty and in carefully preparing his evidence and witnesses, Cromwell makes use of the opportunity to take out some of his enemies or weaken their houses.

King Henry is just as fearsome and narcissistic as ever, and his tempers shift without notice. Cromwell can read the king's mood better than any man and knows just how to manipulate him to achieve the desired outcome, although still at considerable risk.

"You can be merry with the king, you can share a joke with him. But as Thomas More used to say, it's like sporting with a tamed lion. You tousle its mane and pull its ears, but all the time you're thinking, those claws, those claws, those claws." Page 249

Anne Boleyn's downfall dominates the plot in Bring Up the Bodies, but there's also plenty of time to witness Cromwell's steady rise in power, the expansion of his wealth and family dynamics. He (Cromwell) has carefully mentored his young charges and Rafe is now a trusted man in the king's service. His advice to Rafe though is chilling.

"Look, he says: once you have exhausted the process of negotiation and compromise, once you have fixed on the destruction of an enemy, that destruction must be swift and it must be perfect. Before you even glance in his direction, you should have his name on a warrant, the ports blocked, his wife and friends bought, his heir under your protection, his money in your strong room and his dog running to your whistle. Before he wakes in the morning, you should have the axe in your hand." Page 417

The late Hilary Mantel was the first British author and the first woman to win the Booker Prize twice, and I totally get it now. Bring Up the Bodies is an epic character study of Thomas Cromwell and the writing is extraordinary, with a phrase to savour on every page.

I've already started reading the final book in the trilogy The Mirror and the Light and am loving it so far. It's 880+ pages though and the slow read will take us until the end of the year, when I imagine I'll be feeling bereft to have finished.

And now no more for lack of time.

My Rating:

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Carpe Librum!

Review: Sleep First by Dr. Jemma King

* Copy courtesy of Wiley *

It's been 10 months since I last read a book on sleep, so when I received an offer to review Sleep First - Sleep Smarter, Think Sharper, Feel Better by Dr. Jemma King I was quick to accept. The book was off to an excellent start and I was very pleased to see the author quoting from historian Roger Ekirch within the opening pages and the fact that he uncovered hundreds of references to 'first sleep' and second sleep' in pre-industrial era documents.

"You've probably heard the compelling story about how humans 'naturally' sleep in two distinct chunks during the night. According to this theory, before the Industrial Revolution ruined everything with electric lights and rigid schedules, people would go to sleep soon after dark, wake up in the middle of the night for an hour or two of quiet activities (prayer, sex, contemplation, light chores), then drift back into a 'second sleep' until dawn. It's called biphasic sleep." Page 3

This is one of my favourite facts about sleep and it's one that isn't widely known. I wish more people knew about this natural phenomenon and that waking up at 3AM is entirely normal. Furthermore, acceptance of this ancient human biology will aid those feeling anxious about waking through the night, fearing they won't fall back to sleep and will feel tired as a consequence the following day.

I particularly enjoyed the chapter entitled 'Choosing the Fire: Special Forces and Elite Athletes' where the author outlines her experience working with the Australian Special Forces and the experiments she conducted during the Commando selection process.

Dr King provides a useful list of self talk and the harm it does and offers helpful alternatives you can try instead. Each one begins with a belief - like "I'm not tired yet" - and then encourages the reader to 'Try this instead' and explains 'Why it works'. This is effective, however the headings are around the wrong way. This proved confusing until I noticed the editing error and it's a shame because some of the suggestions are really great but their impact may be lost with the interrupted flow.

I haven't seen this in many of the books I've read before about sleep, but Dr King includes a chapter on sleep and technology, covering the pros and cons of wearable devices that can track sleep as well as other technology aids and devices that can aid in a good night's sleep. I was very interested in smart mattresses and rocking beds and plan to look into these a little more after writing this review.

My key takeaway after reading Sleep First - Sleep Smarter, Think Sharper, Feel Better by Dr. Jemma King is a consistent wake time. The time I go to bed and read is very consistent, but my wake time used to vary widely. Before reading this book I'd already started to trial a more consistent wake up / get up time regardless of the level of activity or pain experienced the day before. The author does an excellent job of explaining the importance and benefits of doing so and here's just one reason:

"Researchers have calculated that if everyone just adopted a sleep routine covering the same 7 hours each night, population-wide mental disorder rates could drop by 23 per cent through the simple low-cost act of going to bed and waking up at consistent times." Page 91

Sleep First - Sleep Smarter, Think Sharper, Feel Better by Dr. Jemma King is recommended for anyone wanting to improve their sleep quality. If you struggle to get to sleep or stay asleep, suffer from chronic tiredness or insomnia or you're just interested in learning more about sleep and maximising your quality of sleep - sleepmaxxing, it's a thing - then there's plenty to learn here. You can even read the first chapter for free. Oh, and did I mention she's Australian?

Sleep well tonight!

My Rating:

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Carpe Librum!

Review: Privacy by Molly Young

Privacy by Molly Young is a chapbook in diary entry form about her pregnancy. At just 80 pages long, it's based on a journal the author started keeping when 16 weeks into her pregnancy in an attempt to be a participant-observer in the process. The well written entries feel like a combination of journal, essay and memoir rolled into one. I've seen Privacy referred to as a chapbook and a zine, but the author calls it a zine so let's go with that.

In the Preface, Young notes there are many books about birth and motherhood but wonders why there are so few about pregnancy. While considering why that might be, I also found myself pondering her choice of title and whether it could be a play on the words private and pregnancy.

Young has been published in the New York Times Magazine and her literary writing style and distinct sense of observational humour had me smiling and chuckling as I was reading. Here's a taste:

"Noticed that “prenatal” and “parental” and “paternal” are anagrams. Made a list of Things That Are Delivered: Babies, mail, speeches, verdicts, messages, pizza." Page 53

Young reads and comments on an 1882 manual called Enlightened Woman and pamphlets from the 1940s to humorous effect. Covering her pregnancy from 16 weeks until the the baby is born and can almost roll over at 8 weeks old, Privacy is a quick and entertaining read. 

While it's difficult to categorise, what's clear is that this is an intimate look at one woman's pregnancy as it happens. With deeply personal observations about the mental, emotional and physical nature of pregnancy, Privacy has broader appeal than women who have given birth or might do so in the future. Recommended to me by a male reader, I don't have children - and I'm past the childbearing age - yet was easily able to appreciate the content Young has generously decided to share with us.

I hope Molly Young has continued writing in her journal about becoming a mother as her unique and witty observations about parenthood would be worth checking out in the future. Thanks to Sam for the recommendation!

My Rating:

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Carpe Librum!

Review: Once Upon a Stranger by Dr Gillian Sandstrom

I regularly make small talk and engage with strangers so it might surprise those who know me that I'd be interested in reading a book like Once Upon a Stranger - The Science of How 'Small Talk' Can Add Up to a Big Life by Dr Gillian Sandstrom. This book serves as a how-to for readers who find it uncomfortable to make small talk with people they know let alone those they don't know.

I'm an extrovert who frequently overcomes the fear of rejection or an awkward interaction to make an effort to exchange a few words with people. It might be in the lift, in a store or at a concert and most of the time these small exchanges are fun and pleasant, although sometimes they make my husband cringe. The reason I wanted to delve deeper into this topic is because we're in a loneliness epidemic and I worry that younger generations are losing their social skills.

Dr Gillian Sandstrom is an Associate Professor in the Psychology of Kindness - I didn't know that was a thing either - and clearly outlines the purpose of her book in the introduction.

"Now, not only do I regularly talk to strangers, I also study talking to strangers for a living, as a professor of psychology. (I'm a researcher, not a therapist or clinical psychologist - no couches in sight.) I've made it my scientific mission to understand the reasons that we feel anxious about talking to strangers and all the ways that we benefit if we're able to push past our fears. In this book, I'll share what I (and other researchers) have learned." Page 4

As a person who already practices the art of small talk, the author was essentially preaching to the choir, as I already understand and regularly experience the mutual benefits of engaging with a stranger.

I've noticed a cultural shift away from chatting on the phone or making phone calls and an increased reliance on text messages and email correspondence. Just this week the only way I could contact a new business I wanted to book a consultation with was via a WhatsApp text. I phoned another business and left a message to make an appointment and they didn't answer but texted me straight back instead. For years now, businesses have been asking customers on hold to their call centres to visit their website instead and now when you want to do something it has to be done via their App. Gah! Apart from being frustrating for those of us who are 'old school' this technology is stripping away social interactions and as a result, younger generations have real anxiety about initiating a conversation with another person or even answering their phone.

"A recent market research poll even found that 20 percent of women and 46 percent of men felt somewhat or very confident that they could land a plane if the pilot was incapacitated - a feat that, according to experts, would be nearly impossible for someone with no experience. In other words, many of us think we'd have almost as good a chance of landing a plane as we do of successfully navigating a conversation with a stranger at a party. This is not only ridiculous but untrue". Page 29

A new to me term I learned in the book is 'polite civil inattention'. An example of this is noticing someone at a bus stop or in a lift but actively choosing not to make direct eye contact or engage with them. It's an unspoken social norm where people acknowledge the presence of strangers in public with a brief glance but then quickly look away.

While acknowledging this is sometimes necessary, Sandstrom encourages readers to consider moving beyond civil inattention to interacting with a stranger, repeatedly extolling the virtues of short interactions that can boost our mood, our confidence and our sense of human connection in the world.

While I was reading Once Upon a Stranger, I became acutely aware of the times I initiate conversation with strangers and the author's right, I end up feeling good about it each and every time. I recently made eye contact with a woman at the local op shop while having a quick browse after making a donation and she immediately asked me to read the maker's mark on the back of a plate for her. I had to get my glasses out and we had a laugh and she said I'd made her day. She could just as easily have taken it up to the counter but there's something about helping another person that feels good.

Sandstrom also writes about experiencing shared reality and how it makes us feel connected to other people and gives us a sense of belonging. I experience this at the Dawn Service on ANZAC Day and it's the magic behind attending a music concert and singing the lyrics of a favourite song along with thousands of other fans.

I also loved learning the new (to me) french term esprit d'escalier and realised I regularly suffer from it myself:

"There have been several occasions when, after walking away from a conversation with a stranger, I think of something that I wish I'd said (often a joke I wished I'd made) or a question I wish I'd asked... There's a French term for this: esprit d'escalier. It literally means "wit of the staircase" - thinking of the perfect thing to say only after leaving the room and walking down the stairs." Page 163

For some reason, Sandstrom gives the negative self talk many people experience when it comes to the fear of talking to strangers a name and I found it incredibly condescending and annoying.

"This negative voice is, unfortunately, a main character in our lives and in this book, so I think it needs a name. Given its insidious nature, I'm going to call this devious character Sid. I'm hoping that, by giving this voice a name, we'll be able to think about it in a more objective way and learn to question and challenge it. (I encourage you to give yours a silly name too.)" Page 15

Indeed, I found this very silly and the continual and repeated mention of Sid throughout the entire text grated on my nerves quickly and cost the book a star.

The entire time I was reading this, I was looking forward to the How-To Appendix flagged on page 7, and expected to see a list with some recommended conversations starters. The Appendix provides commentary on choosing a person to start a conversation with and the situation but not a list of suggested words to say. The author gives us her favourite conversation starter of "whatcha doing" but I was disappointed not to find a lengthy list of conversation starters in the appendix and it would have been a terrific addition to the book. Alas, another star was deducted for the lost opportunity.

Once Upon a Stranger - The Science of How 'Small Talk' Can Add Up to a Big Life by Dr Gillian Sandstrom is recommended for readers who struggle to make small talk or see the value in it. Those who see the opportunities and advantages it provides and wish they had the confidence to engage with strangers more often will also benefit from the advice offered here.

My Rating:

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Carpe Librum!

Review: Sirens by Martin McKenzie-Murray

It was a pleasure to attend the book launch for Sirens - Inside the Shadow World of First Responders by Martin McKenzie-Murray back in April this year. Sirens features the experiences of three first responders, Peter - Paramedic, Brett - Police Officer and Tara - Firefighter. Retired Police Officer Brett Kersten and I met in 2010, have been close friends ever since and he's The Copper in Sirens. Brett has openly shared the darkest sides of his service related PTSD and difficult upbringing with me, so I was thrilled for him when he excitedly told me he was being interviewed for this book. His is a touching and incredible story, yet these projects take time and along the way I eagerly helped to proofread the chapters about his life and career and keenly awaited the launch of the finished product, Sirens.

I was proud of Brett's involvement at the launch hosted by Gideon Haigh held at Readings Carlton and it was wonderful to receive a copy of the finished product with an inscription from both Brett and Martin McKenzie-Murray. However I did wonder whether it would feel right to review Sirens, given my personal involvement and deep knowledge of one of the key subjects. It's been a few months and I've finally decided that yes, I will try and review Sirens objectively, while openly disclosing my bias.

It was clear at the book launch that Australian author and journalist Martin McKenzie-Murray is a literary intellectual and brought those skills to bear when he viewed the world of first responders and the lives of these three subjects - Peter, Brett and Tara - through that critical journalistic lens.

In a helpful message to the reader at the beginning of the book, the author lets us know that difficult subjects are going to be recounted and helpfully provides a list of support services available in Australia. However the Introduction that followed instantly felt self-indulgent. As a journalist, I thought the author was going to largely leave himself out of this examination, yet he is front and centre from page one with a recurring nightmare, anxiety, intrusive memories, sexual abuse and his eventual PTSD diagnosis.

This background does serve to explain how the author became interested in first responders and their career inducing PTSD, but this could just as easily have come at the end.

Peter James is a retired paramedic living in Tasmania and is the first to be introduced. Peter was involved in the aftermath of the Port Arthur massacre in 1996 and was one of the paramedics supporting trapped miners Todd Russell and Brant Webb in the Beaconsfield disaster in 2006.

Amongst tales of Peter's trip to Scotland, I was confused when the author started writing about William Wordsworth and John Keats, even going so far as to include poetry from Wordsworth and an excerpt from a letter by Keats. I'm sure the connection was relevant from McKenzie-Murray's standpoint, but it seemed off track and completely irrelevant to this reader.

Further on there's a lot of content about Simon Webb, a Clinical Psychologist working with emergency personnel, including involvement at Port Arthur with Peter. Presumably introduced to offer another viewpoint on Peter's experiences, the reader didn't then need to learn about Webb's upbringing, career in the Army, injuries in the Vietnam war and his own subsequent PTSD. I certainly didn't care to know about Webb's 3 failed marriages, where he lived at the time of writing or how he spent his spare time. I understand the author had his own relationship with Simon Webb, but the detailed account of his illness and subsequent passing and funeral didn't seem to have anything to do with the overarching purpose of the book, other than Peter and Martin's shared history and desire to honour a man they both respected.

Relying on black humour and drinking to cope with the trauma experienced as a Paramedic, Peter retired in 2019 and continues to suffer the devastating effects of PTSD.

Book launch (L-R):
Martin McKenzie-Murray, Brett Kersten,
Peter James and Tara Lal

Moving on to Brett's section of the book, the author takes care discussing Brett's difficult childhood, even going so far as to call it Dickensian. Brett and his younger brother were abandoned as children when his mother took off with their sister and left them to fend for themselves with an alcoholic father who was rarely home. Brett and his brother lived rough on the streets of Queensland before eventually being institutionalised in the Christian Brothers’ orphanage in South Melbourne.

Where Brett's experience of this traumatic upbringing morphed into a respect for authority and led him to join the Australian Regular Army and later the Victoria Police, his brother developed a deep distrust of authority and they subsequently drifted apart. As with the inclusion of Simon Webb in Peter's section of the book, the relevance of Brett's brother Adam beyond this point was questionable.

Always striving to live a life of service to others and his community, it was these shared values and career in the ADF and Victoria Police that strengthened my friendship with Brett in the early days and thankfully they shine in this book.

Brett used dark humour as a coping mechanism early on - as did his colleagues - but in the book the author recounts an occasion where an attempt at black humour aimed at easing the distress of a junior colleague missed the mark.

"I wondered if Brett wasn't also trying to induct his partner into a world where a calloused familiarity with the obscene was not only necessary but expressed with cowboy puerility. In my experience, coppers have both a fierce belief in the usefulness of black humour and a zealous sense of entitlement to its use. And with good reason. In a profession that exposes its members to macabre destructions, they don't appreciate outsiders policing their humour." Page 126-127

For some readers this won't show Brett in a good light and while the author repeatedly confirmed - at the book launch - he didn't set out to write a hagiography, I didn't believe this inclusion was necessary. It's not the only unfavourable scene to feature in the book, Peter is shown in an uncomplimentary scene as well.

Tara Lal is the final of the three subjects and joined the NSW Fire Brigade training college in 2005. The following anecdote reminded me of my own training when she was describing how much trainees sweated during the 'hot cell' training, which involved navigating an intensely heated metal maze wearing full gear while blindfolded.

"Tara would later remove her boots and pour the stuff out like she was tipping a jug of beer". Page 148

Sounds intense doesn't it? (I did NBCD training in the Royal Australian Navy and never sweated that much). Tara also experienced more grief and heartbreak than most in her life which made it downright gobsmacking when the author introduced writer JG Ballard into her narrative. We're told about his experience as a prisoner of war - like the author's grandfather, is that the reason for the inclusion? - the death of Ballard's wife, his drinking and his writing. All of this was hugely jarring and if it was an attempt to provide respite from the heavy content of Tara's story or the book as a whole, all it did was deliver a juxtaposition I found deeply distracting and somewhat indulgent.

"I'm aware of the risk, as I write this book, of numbing you, the reader, with a repetitive anthology of carnage. I'm sensitive to leavening it, truncating it, and removing things altogether. I'm sensitive to your notional appetites and stamina, as I'm sensitive to the elements of crafting a book - of building and releasing tension, for example, but also of handling macabre material in a manner that neither corrupts it, nor alienates you." Page 134

Tara retired after 20 years service and I was impressed by how much she has changed in the time since. Learning to let go of the desire for structure, stability and control and her ability to accept life's uncertainty and chaos is truly inspiring.

In conclusion, there's too much of the author in Sirens. Even in the Afterword, McKenzie-Murray largely writes about his grandfather, gives us an interesting story from his time working with Victoria Police better placed earlier and four pages about Ernest Hemingway. Every writer deeply inhabits their project, however it felt to me that a sharp editor should have plucked out the personal content and encouraged the author to set that aside for another day. The lofty writing style also seemed incongruous with the three subjects and their chosen professions.

Instead I'd have preferred the focus to remain on the physical and psychological effects of the often terrible work first responders are called on to do each and every day. As a journalist, McKenzie-Murray was uniquely positioned to seek advice as to how we as members of the public can be kinder to the first responders we come in contact with. He could also have interrogated the ways in which we can learn lessons from the past and better manage the workplace stresses of these roles. Reading their stories I wanted to know how and what we should be advocating for to improve the career prospects of future paramedics, police officers and fire fighters.

I'm reading a book now about sleep and in it the author writes that if first responders drink alcohol after a traumatic shift, work long hours without a break - like Peter did at Port Arthur - and don't get an adequate amount of sleep required to clear the emotions from the events of that day, they will develop PTSD symptoms from just that one shift for the rest of their lives. The fact they do this on a regular basis explains how first responders are often crippled by PTSD by the end of their careers, if not before. This is an entirely new way of thinking and requires a significant cultural shift in all three emergency services and I'd loved to have seen the author discuss matters like this in Sirens in a 'where to from here' approach.

Instead I was left with little hope for the future of those who often meet people on the worst day of their lives.

My Rating:

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Carpe Librum!

Holy Days Winners Announced

Thanks to everyone who entered my giveaway to win 1 of 2 double passes to see Holy Days. The movie opens in cinemas this week and everyone correctly identified that Holy Days is a comedy set in New Zealand.

The giveaway closed at midnight last night and I drew the two lucky winners today. Congratulations go to:

Thomas & Diana

Congratulations Thomas and Diana, you're both off to the cinema thanks to Kismet Movies. But don't worry, you don't have to go together, you've each won a double pass to see Holy Days valued at $40 so you can go with a friend or family member. I'll be emailing your tickets shortly and hope you enjoy the film.

Carpe Librum!