This is the story of Abraham Quin, an older man living in the Adelaide Hills, reflecting on his life and the world, and engaging with a woman trying to seek refuge from the war in Ukraine. Quin is of Chinese heritage and has led a peripatetic life and – to continue alliteratively – has been a professor, poet and postman.
He is self-described as thinking in ‘bowers of vignettes’, and each page mirrors this. Quin’s thoughts pinball on the page – sometimes in the first person, sometimes in the third. He discusses the lives of writers, delivers thoughts on philosophy and world history, and traverses the globe – from his quiet home in the hills to Hong Kong, Amsterdam and Kyiv and back again – often within the one page. Keeping up with this fever dream isn’t easy, but soon patterns emerge.
Quin isn’t an old man shouting at clouds. What look like random segues are cleverly linked. The narrative develops into a form of an epistolary novel, with Quin corresponding with a Ukrainian woman, Iryna Zarębina (along with her friend Aneta Graff). Australia is far enough away for Iryna to feel like it’s both a possible escape and an unachievable unreality. She writes poetically and with courage and hope.
It might be difficult for readers to find their feet in this narrative. The book’s form is experimental. The narrative is circular, swerving wildly before returning to its centre. The writing has consistent rhythms and is studded with wordplay. Motifs of fire, war, blood and the difficulties of ageing feature throughout. This isn’t an easy read, but there’s value in perseverance. Those who stick with it are rewarded.
Reviewed by Bob Moore
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
ABOUT THE AUTHORBrian Castro was born in Hong Kong of Portuguese, Chinese and English parentage. He is the author of eleven novels, including Birds Of Passage (1983), Double-Wolf (1991), After China (1992), Stepper (1997), Shanghai Dancing (2003), and The Garden Book (2006). Together these novels won The Age Book of the Year Award, the Victorian Premier’s Award (three times), the National Book Council Award, the NSW Premier’s Award and the Queensland Premier’s Literary Award. Castro’s novel in 34 cantos, Blindness and Rage, won the Prime Minister’s Prize for Poetry in 2018.
He is also the author of a collection of essays, Looking for Estrellita, and the novella Street to Street, based on the life of the poet Christopher Brennan. In 2014 Castro received the Patrick White Award in recognition of his significant contribution to Australian literature. His latest book is Chinese Postman, a novel released by Giramondo in 2024.
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