The formidable intellect of Kate Holden is on display with this collection of six essays. She’d mostly lived in Melbourne, until a move to Sydney’s surrounds unsettled her sense of place. The essays – centred on longing and belonging – are structured in a series of short paragraphs unpacking each theme, with each essay having a logical link to the next.

The lead essay, ‘Haven in a Warping World’, focuses on ‘home’. Holden acknowledges her privilege in owning and building a home but, after moving north, she misses the character of the Georgian and Victorian era homes of Melbourne. Holden has always followed her father’s lead and looked to the Classics. In ‘Exile at Home’, she feels out of place in Australia, admitting she feels she belongs in Europe. This is explored further, along with a paean to her parents (her father, especially), in ‘Archaeology’. She looks to Europe and is also looking back in time … but is that nostalgia merely fantasy?

Holden yearns for the sense of enchantment which has disappeared from contemporary life. ‘The Age of Incredulity’ and ‘The Shadowless and Burning Night’ are laments infused with sadness. Society has rushed forwards through industrialisation and capitalism, and time has become so compressed that there is little opportunity for wonder. Her family takes that time and slows life down in ‘Elements’. The reader will likely be jealous.

Holden quotes from a number of sources. Some names appear more than others (Nietzsche, Rilke, Annie Dillard, D H Lawrence, Beverley Farmer). This can be intrusive at times, as the essays read best when the narrative is Holden’s alone. There is a beautiful poetic rhythm to her writing along with intellectual rigour. Holden openly questions herself and society without the expectation of answers. The inherent purpose – and the beauty – of these essays is to prompt the reader to ask the same questions. The Ruin of Magic is a magnificent collection.

Reviewed by Bob Moore

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kate Holden is the author of two highly praised memoirs, In My Skin and The Romantic, and the Walkley Award–winning The Winter Road. She is a regular contributor to The Saturday Paper, The Monthly and The Age.

Visit Kate Holden’s website here.

Read more about The Ruin of Magic here.