Springtime: A Ghost Story

‘’When I was small, going home past the forest at the end of the summer evening, I used to see shining people between the trees.’’

My first experience with Michelle De Kretser’s work was her atmospheric, tender historical novelThe Rose Grower . Therefore, I knew I was in good hands when I came across her novella Springtime characterized as a ghost story. It is indeed short and exquisite. And the most important thing of all is that it will make you think and decide as to the outcome. For there are no clear answers…

‘’...in Sydney the streets ran everywhere like something spilled’’

The story follows Frances in her new life in Sydney along with Charlie who has a son from his first marriage. As she tries to adopt to these show more new surroundings with the sole support of her dog, Rod, she comes across a woman in a garden, dressed in period clothes. Who is she? A ghost? A trick of France’s mind? So, she goes on with her life and the apparition never leaves her mind. It is there, in the back of her head, as a strained relationship begins to unfold and the shadow of another woman, much too real and tangible, haunts France's life.

I will keep this review short because you really need to read Springtime to fully appreciate it. There are so many themes for discussion and consideration. The doubt over a relationship that may not last, a new environment, a new house, people you have to interact with although they’re absolutely appalling to you. Above all, the fight to convince yourself that everything will work out in the end. There is a lovely period touch since Frances is a writer specializing in 18th century gardens, something that gives her an aura of mystery. The same quality permeates the writing as a whole. A ghost story may refer to a number of things. We don’t have to necessarily be certain that what we saw was an actual apparition. Sometimes, the spectre at the feast is much more troubling and frightening. The inner fear of potential failure, of not being enough, of not knowing what we really want. The prose reminded me of Susan Hill’s beautiful, ambiguous short stories that stand upon the border between reality and a world beyond our own. A hazy, hypnotic atmosphere with seemingly disjointed passages and a main character who is marvelously developed and mysterious enough to raise more questions as we read.

If you find Springtime, don’t let it slip away. Don't be dissuaded by the unjustly negative reviews. Read it and decide for yourselves…

My review can also be found on https://theopinionatedreaderblog.wordpress.com show less

I was seduced by this little novella's lovely cover, the Ursula K. LeGuin blurb, and the author's identity as a Sri Lankan-Australian. It has been ages since I've read a story set in Australia. And as I read this, it became clear just how little I still know about Australia. Major cities on the coasts, bloody big desert in the middle, some big red rocks in there, opal mining, all the animals want to and can kill you. That's what I know about Australia.

ANYWAY. I wonder how this story is served by putting "A Ghost Story" on the front cover. Although the back warns us that this is probably not your conventional ghost story, it definitely brings certain expectations to the table. Expectations that are not exactly met. But does setting up show more and then side-stepping those expectations subvert them in an interesting way? Or just frustrate them? I suspect it depends on how invested the reader is in this being a traditional ghost story.

Me? I found this story charming. Even though I'm not a dog person, and a lot of this story revolves around two dogs. The protagonist wasn't easy to relate to, but I found her research interesting, her long walks along the river. Her observations on cultural behavior at airports. And I didn't mind the light touch of the ghost story aspect. show less

I will freely admit that I bought this lovely little book for its cover. This is indeed a ghost story, but a very subtle one. Frances has just moved to Sydney from Melbourne with her new lover, Charlie, who left his wife and son for her. Now doubts are emerging but they are always an undercurrent, subsumed into Frances's observations of her everyday life: dinner party chats, visits from Charlie's son, walks with the dog between the river and back gardens. Here she sees the "ghost," a figure of a woman in the garden of a house she can never identify, which somehow personifies her unease about the turns her life has taken. Like all good ghost stories, there's a bit of a surprise at the end. An unexpected and enjoyable little book.

An interesting short story that paints a picture of Frances. It is a ghost story, but not in the scary sense; an understated sort of miss if you blink ghost really. I enjoyed it.

Almost more of a long short story than a novella. I picked it up for the cover, honestly, but it was sweetly written and entertaining old-fashioned kind of ghost story.

A very short novel that I enjoyed and that gave me something to think about. It is billed as a ghost story but it is also a story of a woman and her dog and a woman and her new relationship. It also delves into relationships between friends and acquaintances. There is so much in this lovely little book I may read it again! Plus it takes place in Australia, a place I've never been. (Christmas in summer!)

Certainly not a ghost story in the usual sense, this short book was quite hard work for me. The writing doesn't really flow, the narrative goes all over the place, new characters pop up unannounced, the random observations are baffling, I had to go back a couple of times, feeling like I missed something. Apart from all that, I still enjoyed the experience, just like people some books need quite an effort.