Rhubarb

Not as overwhelmingly good as "Jasper Jones" but still a great book by a great author. And it's always fun to go into the mind and world of a blind person.

"There's the suddensqueal of locking tyres and a near near miss. But Ewan drives on undettered, with a crab and two possums and a tally of fourteen letterboxes, three side mirrors and almost a cat. Still in first gear."

This debut novel from the great Craig Silvey is a masterpiece. The story of Eleanor Rigby, who is blind, Warren, her loyal guide dog Ewan, a reclusive cello maker and Bruno, the somewhat dodgy owner of the corner store, who always has very bad 'blind jokes' for Eleanor, and not to forget the several cameo appearances of two possums.

The story of intertwined lives and friendships is full of dramas and beautifully interspersed with lots of humour. Easy and enjoyable to read, this book is exceptional. Loved it!

I read this book in great detail as I was working on an adaptation for primary school children (yeah, given the themes, wow!) as part of the Perth Arts Festival in 2005. (I played 'cello while my friend Glenn Swift told/performed snippets from the novel.) As a result I'm highly familiar with the irritating aspects as well as the sublime.

The story really grabbed hold of my guts at times, moving me to tears. Equally genius were the moments of beautifully-timed humour, generally involving Warren the guide dog and/or a hermit crab whose name escapes me (unlike the crab itself, whose one escape mission is hilarious but ultimately doomed to failure.)

The irritation stemmed from two sources: the lack of punctuation--something which Silvey has show more remedied in later workss (I have been told he was following a trend set by fellow West Australian author Tim Winton in this, whose works I have not yet read), and a general... messiness. The story holds itself together at times by the merest of threads.

Despite these flaws, the sheer quality of a lot of the writing is right up there with five star reads for me.

I also feel personally blessed to have been involved with this book as part of the Festival of Perth because it resulted in a particularly fierce-looking 11-year-old boy, from a dodgy part of town, glaring at me after a performance and saying loudly and forcefully: "You were good. No, you weren't good. You were EXCELLENT!" The crowning achievement of my life so far! show less

Rhubarb is Craig Silvey’s first full-length novel. The main characters are the quirky Eleanor Rigby, a petite blind 21 year-old who lives with her reclusive mother, Estelle; and the equally reclusive Ewan Dempsey, aged 23, agoraphobic, maker and player of cellos. Eleanor is ably led by her guide dog Warren (who wishes he had a better name than a habitat for rabbits). Warren guides her by day and guards her by night, but can’t guide her in her Dreams. Eleanor is always on the move through the places she knows, but feels she’s going nowhere. One day, however, she hears Ewan Dempsey playing his cello on his front verandah (it’s almost Christmas, it’s Fremantle, it’s hot inside) and is drawn to the sound. Of course, Ewan show more withdraws and Eleanor has to take the initiative just to talk to him. This is a meeting of two people damaged by their past, who manage to connect and save each other. This novel is filled with genuine characters, clever dialogue, humour and even a bit of slapstick, as well as some elegant prose: “The hazy fur of drygrass along the hills, quilted with dull granite and foliage.”; To the east, the moon is out with a herd of early stars. As though they have crept from the ether to watch the sunset”. The running together of words and the Capitalisation of Significant Words is vaguely reminiscent of Rushdie. A joy to read. show less

Rhubarb is full of real characters – flawed individuals. Silvey deftly peels back the layers of the protagonists, Eleanor and Ewan, and a wonderful quirky ensemble cast, like one peels an onion. Read our full review of Rhubarb >>

Two lonely, alienated oddballs, cello maker Ewan Dempsey and blind girl and sometime fisher Eleanor Rigby (yes, a bad joke made good) find a connection with each other. A novel about place, Fremantle, and about individuals finding their place. The descriptions of weather, shops, cafes and neighbourhood people are evocative. The wandering thoughts of overweight guide dog Warren add to a generally humorous tone The scenes are filmic.
Not written specifically for adolescents, this novel nevertheless might appeal to older readers because of its twist to the usual boy meets girl scenario.

I really enjoy Craig Silveys' style, I didn't always follow what was going on but I was happy to go along for the ride. The descriptions of sensory feelings are poetic and I wish I was better at remembering lines because there are some in this book that I would love to be able to recall.