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HERITAGE RESTORED |
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The
summer of 1995, Melbourne, Australia: a record heatwave bakes the
countryside. American expatriate publisher, Monique O'Shannesey has
suffered a setback of disastrous proportions when a promising young
writer, Frank Morgan refuses to show up to meet a producer who is going
to make a movie out of his book. Little does she know in the midst of
her anger and bitterness that the seeds of regrowth are slowly
germinating.
A chance encounter with her ex-husband's niece brings her into contact with Barry Hancock, a convicted felon serving time for armed robbery. His crime frightens her but his moving poem, Bedroom of My Heart touches a place deep inside her. Monique begins writing to him, much to the dismay of her company accountant and closest friend, John McIvor who is trying to repair the damage caused by the disastrous Frank Morgan affair. John is currently going through a separation from his childhood sweetheart and while is happy-go-lucky most of the time and always seems in control of his own destiny deep inside he is screaming out for love and understanding. Torn between loss and a growing attachment to Monique, he is in the end forced to make a choice of the heart. Barry for his part is trying to survive in the man made hell of Pentridge prison, a ghostly hulk where tortured men live out their existence behind crumbling bluestone walls. His journey towards renewal and hope is perhaps the most moving of all: he writes because he has to escape the world around him, not for gain or recognition. Join Monique, John and Barry, as they struggle with their own feelings of isolation and loneliness. The short stories written by Barry serve as the platform for an amazing journey of self-discovery. The letters written back and forward between the characters as well as extracts from Monique's journal add body and strength to the underlying subplot. Some of the stories such as, Ridicule's Story and Federation Revisited have been in existence as long as the original manuscript whilst others such as 'The Coffee Shop, and The Writer have been added much later. This writer's journey is representative of the journey many writers take from obscurity to the discerning eye of the public arena. The ending will leave people wondering if the border between fantasy and reality has been mysteriously breached. This truly remarkable book was as much a healing process to write as it is to read. Alastair Rosie
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