Family secrets are revealed and time and space seem fluid and fractured in this enthralling, splendidly written book.
Winner of the Victorian Premier’s Unpublished Manuscript Award, HOVERING crosses genres, literary styles and conventions to create a powerful and kaleidoscopic story about three people struggling to find connection in a chaotic and impermanent world.
This marvellous book by Rhett Davis is written in several ‘voices’, and uses tables and ‘interruptions’ of say a transcript of a radio show or a text conversation, hash tags, and a press release as well. Not forgetting police interviews and art articles. Sometimes the page is divided into columns, detailing each character’s movements and/or thoughts.
We learn of the major shifts, changes and ‘metro displacement ‘ of the city of Fraser which has been happening for the past decade but suddenly seems to happen constantly – mailboxes shifted, doors moved etc then whole streets and buildings …
The book opens with Alice returning home to Fraser unannounced after sixteen years away and knocking on the door of her estranged sister Lydia’s home. Their parents are apparently constantly travelling visiting the latest exotic man-made island; We also meet the third main character, Lydia’s son George who does not talk (a protest, and also it helps with the ‘noise’ in his head) – he texts on his mobile instead.
What is real and what isn’t?!
Lydia is a control freak and afraid of flying. She works as a data analyst, being very good with numbers. But then she plays computer games for hours and doesn’t realise the house has been completely shifted and changed.
Alice, meanwhile, is an artist and involved with the work of Helen Kovar. (A group production, with her colleagues, various works were created by the individuals, and her boyfriend Curt, but she left Curt in Europe as events became very messy). A hidden secret catches up with Alice regarding her time in Europe, but all is clarified.
George, meanwhile, is trying to survive school and an assignment he doesn’t like at all. Also , he is terrific on the computer and creates special websites, avatars and the like which is how he makes money. His relationship with Lydia is at times tense and fraught and he has to do most of the housework, as well.
This is an electrifying book which scrutinizes artistic morality, stability, acceptance and the appreciation of the environment.
ISBN: 9780733645624
ISBN-10: 0733645623
Format: Paperback
Language: English
Number Of Pages: 304
Published: 23rd February 2022
Publisher: Hachette Australia
Dimensions (cm): 23.4 x 15.3 x 2.3
Weight (kg): 0.37
Edition Number: 1
https://www.hachette.com.au/rhett-davis/hovering