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Applications Prose Reviewing - student book club reviews The Alphabet of Light and Dark – by Danielle Wood reviewed by Felicity McCormack The Alphabet of Light and Dark is a story encompassing three generations of lighthouse keepers. The book is set in Bruny Island and in Perth, Western Australia, and traces the paths of the two characters – Essie Lewis and Pete Shelverton – as they come to terms with who they are and deal with the pain of the past. In this award-winning novel, Wood discusses the intricacies of loneliness, belonging, and the way that nature and characters interact. Essie, returning to Bruny Island after her Grandfather’s death, has begun to write her family history. Armed with history books, and a chest full of scraps from generations of Westwood’s, she sits down in the old, dark lighthouse and collects the stories, a harder task than she anticipated. Essie’s motivation of finding her place in life aids her in linking the stories behind these trinkets and the disjointed memories and tales from both her father and grandfather. However, the stories she uncovers behind the objects expose the wounds of her childhood – hurts she had thought were long gone. The renewal of her relationship with Pete adds to the difficult journey she finds herself on as she unearths her past. Pete is a lonely sculptor who has spent years trying to rid Macquarie Island of feral cats – a task that he undertakes with a personal vengeance. His own life journey has been a difficult one, but unlike Essie, Pete would rather flee the past than seek his place in relation to his ancestors. As Pete and Essie rekindle the bond of their childhood, their similar experiences as they have grown up makes the relationship stronger, however, before they make any real commitment, they both must confront their pasts. Since early childhood, both characters have been forced into self-dependency to the extent where neither willingly trusts and relies upon others anymore. This novel debates the topics "No man is an island" and "No, man is an island", with the an emphasis on the position that no man should be an island. The situations discussed are realistic problems that can occur because of such discouraging loneliness. The storyline in The Alphabet of Light and Dark is a difficult one to follow. With a disjointed timeline and jumping from place to place, the chronology of important events is not clear until the conclusion. The stories do not seem to connect instead presenting themselves as a jumble of important occurrences that are never adequately connected. In addition, some key facts are not revealed until late in the story, making much of the novel difficult to understand. To achieve the best understanding of this book, revisiting earlier sections might be necessary. Essie’s search for belonging leads her to the story of her great aunt Alva. As she writes the histories, her voice and Alva’s become intertwined to the point where Essie seems to be recounting her own experiences from Alva’s point of view. Many of Essie’s "family histories" follow this pattern. There is little or no evidence to support the tales that she weaves of her relatives. As the only perspectives in this novel are Pete and Essie’s, the reader must rely on the two characters interpretations of past events to form their own opinions. While this form of narrative does provide adequate content for the novel, at times it seems as though there is little that is actually happening. Another perspective might have created more flow in the storyline. The title, The Alphabet of Light and Dark, has multiple meanings that recur throughout the novel. While not only symbolising the signals of the lighthouse – the focal base of the story – almost all the issues that are addressed in the novel can be related or classified into the two distinctions of ‘light’ or good and right, and ‘dark’ being complex and evil. The fair complexion of Essie is compared to the dark, Aboriginal heritage of Pete, the search for belonging compared to pitiful loneliness, and even the lights and darks of the ocean, good and bad stories, and changes of mood in Essie and Pete. This title provides insight into the content of the book and is a provocative theme throughout the novel. Danielle Wood’s vivid description of situations, characters, and nature is one aspect of The Alphabet of Light and Dark that is very effective. Having a keen knowledge of Bruny Island herself, Wood explores the delights of Bruny in her novel, and captures the readers’ imagination with beautiful imagery. Her powerful use of language is a highlight in much of the story, however at times, the overuse of adjectives slows the pace of the novel and makes a more challenging read. The Alphabet of Light and Dark is an intriguing novel that addresses many common issues in human life. Some facets of the novel are evidence of author Danielle Wood’s inexperience in this particular fictional genre however the technical aspects of the text are effective and impacting. A difficult but ultimately enjoyable read for those whose preferred style of writing is historical fiction. Modelled my review with influence from the following media articles: Sunday books: The Ghost Writer (author John Harwood) – Christopher Bantick Sunday Tasmanian, May 2, 2004 Loneliness and solitude: The Alphabet of Light and Dark (author Danielle Wood) – Grant Kennett www.dotlit.qut.edu.au/reviews/alphabet.html The alphabet of light and dark, Danielle Wood reviewed by Joel Holmes The Alphabet of Light and Dark is an intriguing novel that tells of the discovery of history and how it develops a character’s identity and sense of belonging. The book is the author’s first novel published and although I haven’t read, let alone reviewed many fiction novels, I found this one quite a challenge to read. In the first hundred or so pages of the book, the story line doesn’t seem to make a very impacting start. The writer seems to leave it up to the reader to get "pulled in" rather than serving up an inviting introduction. The style of Wood’s writing is also something that took me awhile to get used to, as she is very liberal in her use of adjectives to describe even the smallest of details. While there is no doubt to her skill in the way of description, I found that it was often difficult to follow a story when it was embedded in so much detail. The story follows Essie Lewis, a native Tasmanian who has come back to the state after living abroad for awhile to uncover her family history and find a connection with her past. She has recently broken up with her boyfriend in Perth, Western Australia because she felt alone and that no-one understood her. With feelings like this she decides that would rather be alone than with someone and causing them hurt. Coming to Tasmania she stays at the abandoned residence of the Bruny Island lighthouse of which her great, great, great grandfather was the original keeper. As she uncovers and writes about the past she makes connections with one of her ancestors experiences which are similar to her own. During her stay on the island, the other main character of novel, Pete Shelverton literally runs into her while walking around the lighthouse. They both recognise each other later as childhood companions that grew up together in the same house for a time. This causes each of them to eventually catch up and discuss each other’s experiences, although somewhat disappointingly, a relationship between them doesn’t form. Pete’s past is also revealed in the novel, and like Essie, he too has issues from his past that he needs to confront and overcome. A common thread that connects the two characters together is the fact that they both lost a parent during their childhood. Essie’s mother died when she around eight years old, while Pete’s father and older brother left the family at a similar age. It appears that Essie’s genuine desire is connect with her past as a way of dealing with her issues, while Pete seems to be doing all he can to avoid his past by occupying his mind elsewhere. The history that Essie is writing of her family describes how her great, great aunt Alva, granddaughter of William Westwood also lost her mother at a young age. It describes the close relationship that she had with her grandfather and how they used to speak a lot of the sea. This draws an alarmingly close parallel to Essie and the close relationship she has with her grandfather, Charles. The similarity of the two leaves Essie with inspiration a sense that someone else understands her, even though it was through the past. The history that Essie writes about her family appears in italics for whole or part of chapters of the novel. Intertwined with the stories of the present, it follows along giving the reader a perspective of what Essie’s character may thinking of at the time of writing it. It could be said that the character of Alva becomes a portrait of Essie’s past. The characters of William, Alva, Charles and Essie are all drawn to the solitude and freedom of the sea, emotionally and mentally, and the calm physical environment offered there too. Pete, on the other hand enjoys nature because of its continual cycle of re-growth and re generation which he says eliminates pieces of the past. These principles are reflected in how the characters position towards their setting is described. Pete decides to live in solitude to escape from peoples’ enquiries and their presence generally. He really brings upon himself self-inflicted loneliness which he sees as not really enjoyable or not, but rather as a retreat. His character could be described quite justly as being insecure, but as his character progresses through meeting Essie again, he rekindles his relations with outside world. The significance that the title of the novel plays in the story is quite subtle but nevertheless present. The theme of light and dark applies to the characters emotional experiences in their lives. The highs and lows or dark and light times that are threaded together to create the tapestry of a person’s life. The sequence of light, then a pause of darkness, then light again is a simile for the way in which peoples’ lives function. The idea of Essie going to the lighthouse to find direction for her life also serves as simile for the way in which a lighthouse helps to guide ships in rough sea. The rough sea in this case could be described a dark time of Essie’s life, but by the conclusion of the novel, we can see that both characters have developed a greater sense of place in society and of belonging.
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