Feather Man

par Rhyll McMaster

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Titre	Feather Man
Auteur	Rhyll McMaster
Évaluation
Mots-clés	Australian, fiction, sexual abuse, coming of age, Brisbane, 60's
Collections	Votre bibliothèque
Votre critique	Fantastic. The story traces the development of a young girl nicknamed Sooky, and the novel is structured around her 4 key male partners. The setting is Brisbane in the 60's and Sooky has a fairly dysfunctional family. She feels very close to her father but he becomes progressively crazy and disinterested in her. Her mother is closed off and cruel. Seeking contact she spends a lot of time with the neighbours, Lionel and Dolly. Lionel has chooks and he encourages Sooky to be his helper. He artfully builds an intimacy between them which leads to sexual abuse. The abuse takes place on the floor of the chook pen and is described in the first chapter. A stunning start – no slow reveal here! Given the lack of support and warmth in her home situation, combined with the manipulative skill of Lionel, it is quite plausible that Sooky would eventually fall victim. Her response to the abuse is explored in detail. Clearly the abuse harms her at a very deep level – she shuts herself off from the abuse and creates a shell, a façade, with her emotions well concealed. But there’s also ambivalence. She still wants to have Lionel’s attention. It is better than his rejection – it is better than being ‘loved’ by no one. It is unclear whether Sooky's parents or Lionel's wife have any awareness of what’s going on., but it seems at least possible - and what's more they seem intent on pushing her towards Lionel. I think the first section of the book is the best. It paints a terrific picture of family life in Brisbane in the 60's. The novel goes on to describe Sooky's relationship with three other men, her move to UK, and the development of her ability as a painter. Along the road of her life Sooky makes some very bad choices, but we can see why this happens, and it's good to see that she eventually starts to use her real name and develop a stronger sense of self . Given that she seems to have at last achieved a sense of wholeness and realness the closing line is quite perplexing. Just when she seems to have finally pulled herself together the final line suggest her partner may be another colonizing male…. and she may once again let herself be a victim. The story emerges from a very deep, intense place – the emotions expressed are visceral and powerful. The focus is on the internal, the state of mind, the feelings, the perceptions of the heroine. The connections, associations seem derived in part from the unconscious. The use of nursery rhymes, dreams, fairy stories also convey primitive sources. Bringing the skills of a poet to the task McMaster writes lyrically, choosing each detail, image and word with great care and precision. She uses short, clear sentences. This novel reminded me of another excellent book about sexual abuse of children - 'Choo Woo' by Lloyd Jones (author of 'Mr Pip').
Autres auteurs 1
Édition	Marion Boyars Publishers Ltd (2008), Paperback, 320 pages
Date de publication	2008
ISBN	0714531480 / 9780714531489
Cote de la Bibliothèque du Congrès 1	PR9619.3.M3267F43
Indice Dewey	823.92
Sujets	Australians › England › Fiction Bildungsromans Brisbane (Qld.) › Fiction London (England) › Fiction Women › Australia › Fiction Young women › Fiction
Langue principale eng	English
Langue secondaire	(blank)
Langue d'origine
Date d'acquisition
Date de début
Date de fin
Résumé 1	Feather Man par Rhyll McMaster (2008)
Commentaires
BCID	XXX-
Nombre d'exemplaires	1
Citation	MLA, APA, Chicago/Turabian, Wikipedia citation
Source des données	amazon.com

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Feather Man

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