Next Meeting: 8th September at 6:30pm to discuss What Can We Know by Ian McEwan.
Oblivion (2024) by Patrick Holland. Patrick Holland is a novelist and short story writer reared in Roma Queensland. . He is the author of seven books, most notably The Mary Smokes Boys (2010), which was longlisted for the Miles Franklin Award and is currently being made into a feature film. His work has been recognised by awards including the Miles Franklin, and the Dublin Literary Award. Patrick divides his time between Hong Kong and Brisbane.
A nameless soul travels through soulless Asian cities. The narrator is adrift in Asia where he officially works in foreign affairs and trade, attending conferences and negotiating deals. His knowledge of Asian economies is extensive, and he speaks the languages he needs with enough fluency to do deals, pick up girls in bars and buy expensive liquor and opium.
Unofficially he does insider trades with super-wealthy Asian investors. When the novel opens, he is negotiating one of these illicit deals to buy up a corridor of Australian land, planning to finance his own purchase of a luxury high rise apartment in Saigon. He aspires to live there in an opium and booze induced oblivion. The glitzy world he traverses seems to offer very little.
And yet, in the desolation of a Japanese airport there is a flicker of hope. He purchases a copy of Ovid’s Metamorphoses and a bilingual edition of Bashō’s haiku.This allusion to Japan’s famous haiku poet is an invitation to the readers of Oblivion to supply their own images and make leaps and connections, according to the introduction to Basho, the Complete Haiku (2008). Ovid (43BC-17/18AD) is remembered for his erotic poetry, which may have caused his exile by Augustus. His epic poem Metamorphoses is about the transformation of human beings into other living things such as trees, animals and flowers. The reader is alerted to the possibility of spiritual change for Oblivion’s world-weary narrator. The literary connections continue when Tien, a 21st-century courtesan makes her appearance in Saigon, and their first conversation references Dante’s Divine Comedy. Is Tien his Beatrice, the Blessed One who will guide him to redemption? (The meaning of the Vietnamese name Tien is ‘Goddess’ or ‘Celestial Being’).
Ominously, when his assignation, promising quick cash, goes astray, Tien also disappears. He searches in vain for her, like a doomed Orpheus in a sky high underworld. Tien, too, has apparently found oblivion.
I would rather search forever — an inverted and abandoned Orpheus, wandering the high halls without a guide, afraid to turn around and see her absence.
The reader is drawn to consider the emptiness; the protagonist is left with nothing. Oblivion indeed.
Dusk became deep night and as the last vapours of the world vanished across the Styx at one bar or another……
Readers in our group found this a sad and depressing view of life. The descriptive poetry was appreciated, but the emptiness was disturbing.
Ratings: Seven Bookclubbers rated the book – all at 3 out of 5.
We look forward to seeing you again at our next meeting at 6.30pm, Tuesday 8th of September
to discuss What Can We Know by Ian McEwan.
About Us
We are a group that gets together once a month to discuss good books. Each of us gets to choose a book on a rotational basis, preferably one outside our personal comfort zone – we try to keep the trash to ourselves. After the discussion, we comment on other books we read that month. Most of the time we remain friends after the meeting.
We normally meet at Room 2.1 of the Robina Community Centre’s Boadroom. This building is located opposite the Auditorium entrance of the Robina Library on the second Tuesday of every month from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
A small contribution is required towards the rent of the room, but not if you are a first timer. The amount depends on the number of people attending.
One book title is chosen each month and we all read that book. There is a ‘host’ who introduces and co-ordinates the discussion. The role of host is rotated around the group so that each member has the opportunity to nominate their book (it could also be an author, theme or genre). The host also acts as chairperson for that meeting.
Although we are not a social club (we are readers), we occasionally attend literary events, relevant movies or plays here at the Gold Coast, Brisbane or Byron Bay. We conform to basic meeting practices, and everyone has an equal opportunity to express their opinion. Everyone’s interpretation is valid, as long as it’s expressed respectfully.
We welcome any new members who share our aims and are happy to contribute to our group. Newcomers are not required to have read the book to attend the first meeting and no contribution is required from them at the first meeting attended.
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