The Eye of the Storm in Aussie Readers

Apr 04, 2013 Snort rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: graceful-geriatrics, waltzing-mathilda

Eager to right the wrong of YA fiction “Entice” (Jessical Shrivington) being the last Aussie-authored novel I read last year, I embarked (perhaps ambitiously) upon Patrick White’s “Eye of the Storm”. I had no intentions of punishing myself, but this is not a particularly easy read, and at 608 pages, is a Commitment. For those who are too weak to give this a bash, I highly recommend the recent movie adaptation.

Elizabeth Hunter is the dying matriach, living in the cruel grip of appetite. Her sight Eager to right the wrong of YA fiction “Entice” (Jessical Shrivington) being the last Aussie-authored novel I read last year, I embarked (perhaps ambitiously) upon Patrick White’s “Eye of the Storm”. I had no intentions of punishing myself, but this is not a particularly easy read, and at 608 pages, is a Commitment. For those who are too weak to give this a bash, I highly recommend the recent movie adaptation.

Elizabeth Hunter is the dying matriach, living in the cruel grip of appetite. Her sight may be dimmed by age, but her vision penetrates winding corridors of years past. While she cannot control any of her bodily functions, she cunningly manipulates the emotions of others. Is she petulant and vengeful, or merely getting away with what she has always gotten away with?

The cast of supporting characters are painstakingly drawn out. Dorothy the ex-Princess, gives poverty a glamorous edge as she drapes moth-eaten furs as armour against society. Sir Basil the aging actor, gives a brilliant performance of one whose past successes fall short of his hopes for today. Then Arnold Wynburd, the loyal solicitor - always too proper, always too precise; and we find out why he approaches life with such petrified regret.

There are some rapturously written paragraphs, but every now and again, bizarre long winding unpunctuated gramatically dubious excessively flowery disjointed paragraphs representing.. streams of consciousness? THIS SEVERELY TESTED ME. A sterling example is Basil’s deconstructed dreamscape in the last chapter – I have no doubt this is a clever parody of King Lear, but I shamelessly skimmed over it nonetheless. However, that does nothing to diminish this novel. It is remarkable for its aching portraits of a few deeply flawed individuals grappling with the mysterious force called Life.

What does the eye of the storm refer to? That sudden stillness or insight before death? Before things come to a stunning climax, Elizabeth Hunter dies on the “kermode”. Death is but a great equalizer. 4 stars.

(February 2013, Kindle-on-iPad, $10.99)

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Jun 04, 2008 Travis Bird rated it did not like it

Shelves: utter-garbage-general-fiction

Reviewing the Jack Higgins book of the same title reminded me of this. I detest everything that the sickly old bastard wrote but this, amongst it all, I despise the most. I had to read it as part of a university unit on Australian literature. I'll refrain from using the language here that I reserve for this author. ...more

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May 29, 2012 Aggie V rated it it was ok

Shelves: abandoned

I had to let this go for now- life's too short and I've gone there before with books like Point Counter Point and The Secret History (rich people behaving appallingly). I might try again in a few years. ...more

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Jan 28, 2010 Laura Rittenhouse added it · review of another edition

Shelves: abandoned

I've had to put this on hold. The language is beautiful but my mind is wandering. I think I need to be in a different head space to appreciate this one. ...more

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