Harold Vaněk lives in East Brunswick, makes and sells pottery and has a flat above a fish and chip shop that he shares with Marylou, an ex-sex worker from South Korea. Harold has Czech heritage: he was born here to a Czech mother and was raised by his Czech grandmother, Maruška. Harold had clashed with his mother and he fled to Seoul for 18 years, where his relationship with Marylou developed. He’s in love with her but hesitates to tell her as she’s still trying to regain her self-esteem. Life is complicated.
Marylou calls Harold ‘Marlowe’, pinning Raymond Chandler’s fictional character’s traits onto Harold. Philip Marlowe is a truth-seeker, exhibiting great integrity. He’s also chaste, mirroring Harold and Marylou’s relationship, until one night when they fall into each other’s arms. This coincides with the news that Marylou’s grandfather is to visit from South Korea. Harold has kept his relationship with the grandfather a secret from Marylou, causing an immediate schism between them. Harold decides to flee to his roots in Prague.
This Prague adventure forms the second half of the novel, where coincidence is an essential ingredient. On the flight from Melbourne, Harold is given a drink by an older lady, Marie, who shares his surname and reveals herself to be his mother’s cousin. Harold finds work with a pharmacist and through that work forms a close relationship with a newly orphaned boy, Petr (with a similar name to his new landlord, Peter).
There’s a potted history of Prague and its politics embedded within the dialogue, at times making it longwinded and cumbersome. This is a character study, rather than a plot-driven story. Call Me Marlowe is well-written, without quite reaching its potential.
Reviewed by Bob Moore
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