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wtb_michael's review
4.0
The writing in this is gorgeous and evocative, but it took me a little while to sink into the story. By the end though, I was glad I read this. Annie's a difficult, frustrating character and I didn't really buy that the relationship between Annie and Tom was salvageable, but the examination of trauma and recovery and the beautiful description of the landscape were enough to keep me in.
scatterbooker's review
5.0
Ache will make you feel every emotion under the sun. A must read for everyone!
Ache is set one year after a bushfire destroyed Annie’s family and Australian mountain home. Annie is still trying to pick up the pieces of her life after riding her horse through the fires to save her child only to lose her beloved Grandmother and unwillingly become the face of the fires after her photo became splashed all over the media. Annie is trying to make her marriage work with her husband, Tom, and heal her traumatised daughter, Pip, in their home in the city. She decides to head home to the mountain where her family and small town friends are still battling to recover from the devastation of the fires.
This fire in this story is fictional but I think most Australians will be able to relate to the trauma of a small town dealing with the aftermath of a devastating bushfire. I have been lucky to be relatively untouched by bushfires but I still understand the fear of fire (or flood!) and can imagine the trauma of being right in the middle of it all and how difficult it must be to pick up the pieces of your life after a fire sweeps through and destroys your entire life. Bless everybody experiencing something similar right now.
Eliza Henry Jones has studied English, psychology and grief, loss and trauma counselling and completed a thesis exploring bushfire trauma in fiction. She has crafted a beautifully written and emotional novel that deals with a wide range of themes with grace and ease. Now I understand why everyone I know has raved about this book and am so happy to add my rave review to the list!
Ache is set one year after a bushfire destroyed Annie’s family and Australian mountain home. Annie is still trying to pick up the pieces of her life after riding her horse through the fires to save her child only to lose her beloved Grandmother and unwillingly become the face of the fires after her photo became splashed all over the media. Annie is trying to make her marriage work with her husband, Tom, and heal her traumatised daughter, Pip, in their home in the city. She decides to head home to the mountain where her family and small town friends are still battling to recover from the devastation of the fires.
This fire in this story is fictional but I think most Australians will be able to relate to the trauma of a small town dealing with the aftermath of a devastating bushfire. I have been lucky to be relatively untouched by bushfires but I still understand the fear of fire (or flood!) and can imagine the trauma of being right in the middle of it all and how difficult it must be to pick up the pieces of your life after a fire sweeps through and destroys your entire life. Bless everybody experiencing something similar right now.
Eliza Henry Jones has studied English, psychology and grief, loss and trauma counselling and completed a thesis exploring bushfire trauma in fiction. She has crafted a beautifully written and emotional novel that deals with a wide range of themes with grace and ease. Now I understand why everyone I know has raved about this book and am so happy to add my rave review to the list!
bianca89279's review
5.0
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Eliza Henry-Jones’ In the Quiet was one of my favourite reads of 2015, so I was very keen to read her sophomore novel.
Ache is set in a rural community on the mountain, somewhere in the South East of Australia. The forests are inhabited by lyre birds. A year ago, a big fire destroyed most of the community – people and animals perished, properties were destroyed.
One year on, having witnessed the big fire, Annie, a veterinary who lives in the city, is unsettled, depressed and suffers from PTSD. Her six-year-old daughter, Pip, is also affected by last year’s experiences and she’s acquired quite a few challenging behaviours. Annie and her husband, Tom, try their best to accommodate Pip. But Annie can’t deal with the city life anymore. To Tom’s dismay, she quits her job and goes back to the mountain, where her mother, Susan, is struggling to cope with her own mother’s death. Their relationship is not easy, as Annie’s grandmother, Gladys, was more a mother figure to her than Susan ever was. The only male presence in Annie’s life was her uncle, Len, now a veterinary, who loves lyre birds. I really liked Len. He was such a caring man.
Returning to the devastated community and to her now partially destroyed childhood home is challenging. Locals are still trying to put their lives together, some with more success than others. There’s animosity, bitterness, depression and hate. The mountain still hasn’t recovered from the fires. Everything is burned, grey and dry.
As in her previous novel, the characters are very ordinary people, people who aren’t particularly charming or good looking or rich. Their relationships are simple, yet complex. These relationships are stretched to their limit by traumatic events.
This novel starts off slowly and builds speed progressively. Henry-Jones unravels the story with back and forth stories in time – the structure very similar to In the Quiet.
I loved the writing, the characters and the settings. It’s a simple story, about ordinary people, who have to find a way to move forward. I was enthralled, so much so, I stayed up till 1 am to finish it.
As excited as I was to read this, I was also apprehensive fearing disappointment. Phew, I’m so glad when something lives up to my expectations.
Ache is a tender, heart-warming novel with a distinct Australian feel. I’m looking forward to reading whatever Henry-Jones comes up with next because her writing is special and full of heart.
Many thanks to HarperCollins Australia for this advance reading copy.
Cover: 5 stars
This book goes towards the Aussie Author Challenge hosted by Book Lover Book Reviews at http://bookloverbookreviews.com/reading-challenges/aussie-author-challenge-2017
Eliza Henry-Jones’ In the Quiet was one of my favourite reads of 2015, so I was very keen to read her sophomore novel.
Ache is set in a rural community on the mountain, somewhere in the South East of Australia. The forests are inhabited by lyre birds. A year ago, a big fire destroyed most of the community – people and animals perished, properties were destroyed.
One year on, having witnessed the big fire, Annie, a veterinary who lives in the city, is unsettled, depressed and suffers from PTSD. Her six-year-old daughter, Pip, is also affected by last year’s experiences and she’s acquired quite a few challenging behaviours. Annie and her husband, Tom, try their best to accommodate Pip. But Annie can’t deal with the city life anymore. To Tom’s dismay, she quits her job and goes back to the mountain, where her mother, Susan, is struggling to cope with her own mother’s death. Their relationship is not easy, as Annie’s grandmother, Gladys, was more a mother figure to her than Susan ever was. The only male presence in Annie’s life was her uncle, Len, now a veterinary, who loves lyre birds. I really liked Len. He was such a caring man.
Returning to the devastated community and to her now partially destroyed childhood home is challenging. Locals are still trying to put their lives together, some with more success than others. There’s animosity, bitterness, depression and hate. The mountain still hasn’t recovered from the fires. Everything is burned, grey and dry.
As in her previous novel, the characters are very ordinary people, people who aren’t particularly charming or good looking or rich. Their relationships are simple, yet complex. These relationships are stretched to their limit by traumatic events.
This novel starts off slowly and builds speed progressively. Henry-Jones unravels the story with back and forth stories in time – the structure very similar to In the Quiet.
I loved the writing, the characters and the settings. It’s a simple story, about ordinary people, who have to find a way to move forward. I was enthralled, so much so, I stayed up till 1 am to finish it.
As excited as I was to read this, I was also apprehensive fearing disappointment. Phew, I’m so glad when something lives up to my expectations.
Ache is a tender, heart-warming novel with a distinct Australian feel. I’m looking forward to reading whatever Henry-Jones comes up with next because her writing is special and full of heart.
Many thanks to HarperCollins Australia for this advance reading copy.
Cover: 5 stars
This book goes towards the Aussie Author Challenge hosted by Book Lover Book Reviews at http://bookloverbookreviews.com/reading-challenges/aussie-author-challenge-2017
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