Ivan Southall (1921–2008)

Ash Road by Ivan Southall is an Australian Young Adult (YA) novel set in country Victoria. First published in 1965, Ash Road tells the story of two separate groups of children and their various reactions to diversity. Wallace, Graham and Harry are a group of teenage boys on their first foray into the world without adults. Camping on a suffocating summer night, the boys accidentally set the bush ablaze. On the other side the mountain, the children of Ash Road are left alone when their parents show more leave to fight the fire and assist with the evacuation of nearby towns. However, the blaze is soon out of control and the children are left to cope alone with the impending disaster.

On the surface, Ivan Southall’s Ash Road seems like a typical YA coming of age story but stating so would be doing this impressive piece of writing a disservice. While this book does contain some elements of growing up and leaving childhood behind, it is so much more than that. As characters of all ages stare into the face of disaster, they are forced to confront their own reactions, delving deeply into their own self-image, and ultimately growing as people.

Ash Road was the recipient of several literary awards, including the Book Council of Australia Australian Children’s Book of the Year 1966 and the American Library Association Notable Book 1966, and it is not difficult to see why.

Ash Road is written in a stream-of-consciousness style from various points of view, lending a sense of urgency and anxiety that keeps the pages turning. The characters are, for the most part, well fleshed out and show clear development throughout the story, but some of the characters, such as the Robertsons are a bit wishy-washy. Modern teens might also find the outdated currency and slang a bit jarring, but that is to be expected, and it’s not so bad as to detract from the enjoyment of the reader.

The true strength of this story, however, lies in Southall’s strikingly vivid descriptions of the Australian countryside, the heat of the Australian summer and sheer majesty and terror of an approaching bushfire. The reader can hear the crackling of leaves underfoot, feel the dry heat of the North wind, smell the acrid sweetness burning eucalypts.

Overall, Ash Road is an enjoyable novel which delves far more deeply into the psychology of human nature than an initial glance would imply. Southall is a truly talented writer who transports the reader into a world of fear and guilt, where every decision is life or death. This isn’t just a book for children, but a superb piece of writing that deserves a place on everybody’s shelf. show less

I was pleased to stumble upon this book in a secondhand bookshop, having heard of the place through science fiction stories of the 1950s and 1960s, including being mentioned in Arthur C Clarke's Rendezvous with Rama.
Having read various books on Tsiolkovsky & Gagarin, Rocketry in Russia and the numerous American rocket science books; Willie Ley, Pynchon's V2/Gravity's Rainbow, Michael Chabon's Moonglow (operation paper clip) etc. This book covers the British rocket science program as it was show more in the early 1960s, written by a journalist with some access to the sites. Although dated, the illustrated book gives a real insight into the lives and work of the operators there, including the chief scientist A.P. Rowe, and deputy W.A.S. Butement.
"How would 2,000 men...behave in a world without women?" & "camel with two piccaninnies perched on top"
He talks about the tests at the end of world war two, how at the time there was no exchange of ideas - Russian secrecy, Americans testing V2s at White Sands (firing straight up), and how thirty years earlier in 1917, the Royal Flying Corps Experimental Works guided missile was successfully returned by physicist Prof. A. M. Low.
It was great reading about some of the personnel who lived at the Koolymilka community, especially Floss (Miss Laurine Hall/Mrs Laurie East) - famous throughout the British rocket world, and Lennie Beadell - road builder, who now has a rock named after him, "Mount Beadell"; both with strong, amiable personalities. Ivan Southall writes about the response to the MacDougall Report (made with assistance including Rupert Murdoch who was famous for creating sensationalism) against the whites at Woomera; and includes descriptions of the prism windows and radiosonde balloons. Little is mentioned about Cross Bow and Black Knight, but these were part of the restricted information at the time. show less

It's a hot day in January, the wind is blowing fiercely, and conditions are perfect for a wildfire near the town of Tinley. At the same time, three teens head out into the brush, away from adults and their unfair rules, like obeying the law about open burning...

This is the first book written by Ivan Southall that I've read, and I found myself fascinated by his storytelling talent. The children and adolescents are 'real', speaking and acting just as those who populate the world around us do. show more I also found myself engrossed, wanting to know what would happen to the people in this story.

Labeled as YA, it is quite suitable for adult readers, too. show less

Three boys go camping for a week on their own and accidentally start a fire that sweeps through the dangerously dry outback. The story follows the actions of several families living along Ash Road, how the adults seem to bungle through their instincts to help, and how a handful of children are left alone and possibly trapped by the oncoming flames. A YA thriller, I suppose, but without much in the way of thrilling bits. The writing needed to be more immediate and intense, I think, to pull it show more off. I love a good disaster/thriller story, but this one lacked the seat-edgy excitement. show less