Under the Influence in Great Aussie Reads

Jan 31, 2012 Simone rated it really liked it

Shelves: great-aussie-reads-challenge, aww2012-challenge, contemporary, womens-fiction

Under the Influence is the story of three women who meet at a Sydney boarding school as twelve years olds. Fast forward about twenty years and Eve is now a cellist for the Royal Opera in London and has lived away from Australia for the past decade. Sarah is a stay at home mum who lives in Sydney with her husband and two young children. And Meg is a doctor who has moved all over the country, unable to settle down. Ironically just when she does choose a place to call home in outback New South Wale Under the Influence is the story of three women who meet at a Sydney boarding school as twelve years olds. Fast forward about twenty years and Eve is now a cellist for the Royal Opera in London and has lived away from Australia for the past decade. Sarah is a stay at home mum who lives in Sydney with her husband and two young children. And Meg is a doctor who has moved all over the country, unable to settle down. Ironically just when she does choose a place to call home in outback New South Wales, she is killed in a car accident. When Eve and Sarah are reunited for the funeral, the friends are forced to face the past and deal with the secret they all shared as teenagers.

The story begins with Eve (from whose point of view the story is mainly told) in London and then weaves between present and past as she travels back to Australia (and the small town of Tallow) and attends the funeral of her (once) best friend Meg. The author manages to flick backwards and forwards fairly seamlessly, without the reader getting lost as to where and when the storyline is focusing on. The only small complaint I would have is when the story changes point of view within the same paragraph (which it does occasionally) – but this is only a minor point.

As the story progresses, there is an element of mystery as to what exactly did happen all those years ago, which keeps you intrigued and guessing as to what it might be. The author also illustrates graphically the cruelty of teenage bullying and the accompanying issue of consent of bystanders, who are too scared to stand up for the victim, lest they become the next target. These darker themes give the story a gritty edge and provide food for thought.

There are unmistakable elements of Australia woven right throughout the story – in place, characters, expressions and dialogue – without resorting to clichés or ocker expressions. From the cityscape of Sydney, to rural New South Wales, you have a very strong sense of where the characters are.

I really enjoyed this book. It had me hooked right from the start and kept me there until the very end. A great debut novel from a promising new Australian author.
...more

5 likes · Like · see review

Feb 01, 2012 Helen McKenna rated it really liked it

Shelves: aww2012-challenge, great-aussie-reads-challenge-2012, australian

When they meet at a Sydney boarding school as twelve year olds, Eve, Meg and Sarah have no idea that their lives will remain linked by a nasty secret they all share. Now in their early thirties and separated by geography and vastly different lifestyles, the story begins when Eve (who is living in London) hears the news of Meg’s death. Travelling back to outback New South Wales for the funeral and meeting up with Sarah again, the women soon realise their past can no longer be banished to the furt When they meet at a Sydney boarding school as twelve year olds, Eve, Meg and Sarah have no idea that their lives will remain linked by a nasty secret they all share. Now in their early thirties and separated by geography and vastly different lifestyles, the story begins when Eve (who is living in London) hears the news of Meg’s death. Travelling back to outback New South Wales for the funeral and meeting up with Sarah again, the women soon realise their past can no longer be banished to the further recesses of their minds, but must be dealt with before they can move on with their lives.

I really liked the way the story wove easily between present and past, illustrating clearly the background of the three friends and what has driven them to become the women they are. The depiction of a girls’ boarding school in Sydney comes across very accurately as does the incessant bullying that Eve suffers at the hands of “it” girl Rebecca Thornton. Tied in with this is the theme of consensus by silence – if you stand by and watch someone be bullied are you just as guilty? Yet it also acknowledges how powerless teenagers can feel when confronted by it – at that age your own survival and acceptance can sometimes mean putting aside personal ethics just to fit in.

As well as getting the feel of Sydney spot on, the author also portrays country New South Wales fantastically, with the mention of several regional towns throughout the story, and the setting of Tallow, where Meg’s funeral is held. You can picture the small community easily – from the shops, to the pub to the town “doer”, who has her finger on the pulse of all that is happening in the community.

The pace of the story was good, with the suspense building towards the end and relatively short chapters keeping all the elements fresh in your mind. Each snippet of the past provides a further piece of the puzzle, which keeps you guessing right until the secret is revealed. As Eve is the main protagonist, you really come to understand her character more as the whole story unfolds but all the minor characters are well drawn also.

Overall a fantastic story, with fairly deep underlying themes that really made you think. I really enjoyed it and as the story built up momentum I couldn’t put it down. I look forward to Jacqueline Lunn’s next novel.
...more

3 likes · Like · see review

Feb 07, 2018 Jessica rated it liked it

Like

Apr 12, 2012 Alice rated it really liked it

Shelves: aussie

Like

From the Bookshelf of Great Aussie Reads…

Find A Copy At

Group Discussions About This Book

What Members Thought

Great Aussie Reads