Reviews

The Deck by Fiona Farrell

tasmanian_bibliophile's review

4.0

 

‘The novelist is about to step out onto the unknown ground that is every new book.’ 

At the beginning, in The Frame, we are introduced to the novelist, who has recently read ‘The Decameron’ and, while contemplating the impact of the 1918 influenza epidemic on those living in the South Pacific, is seeking inspiration for a new book. 

While ‘The Deck’ borrows from Boccaccio’s 14th century masterpiece ‘The Decameron’, Ms Farrell moves beyond the stories told to reflect on the role of storytelling in a world in which reality has overtaken imagination. Pandemics (the Black Plague of the 14th century, the Covid-19 pandemic of the 21st century) may have provided the impetus for both ‘The Decameron’ and ‘The Deck’ but neither is about the pandemic. Instead, a small group of people take shelter to avoid contagion and entertain each other by telling stories. 

Ani, Baz, Didi, Pete, Philippa and Tom escape from the city and take refuge at a beach house called The Crib, which consists of separate living pods. At first, they enjoy the freedom they have, isolated within nature, able to eat, sing, walk and talk. But after they have exhausted topics such as history and politics, philosophy, best movies and musical icons, discussion becomes more focussed on individual challenges, concerns, and fears. There is nothing like restriction on movement to remind us of how we crave freedom, and a return to ‘normal life’. 

And over time, as Ani, Baz, Didi, Pete, Philippa, and Tom pass time by telling stories, borders between what is real or imagined become blurred. How do we move on in such a world, how do we face challenges, how do we adapt to change?  How do we make a transition back to reality from fiction? 

‘The novelist leaves them there, her paper dolls, walking along their imaginary land.’ 

This is the first of Ms Farrell’s novels I have read, but it won’t be the last. I am still thinking about reality, about survival, about some of the other questions raised in ‘The Deck’. 

Jennifer Cameron-Smith 

carosweet's review against another edition

emotional hopeful informative mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

5.0