Each month our AFR Magazine reviews the latest in literature. Here are January's three picks.
Hillbilly Elegy
J.D.Vance
William Collins
Litres of ink have been spilt on analyses of Donald Trump's shock win in the United States presidential election. Hillbilly Elegy provides a credible explanation, exploring from the inside the slow disintegration of the culture of white, working-class Americans.
Vance grew up in the US rust belt, an area in the north-east of the country that's been in economic decline since the closure of steel factories in the 1970s. At 31 he wrote Hillbilly Elegy, subtitled A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis, to explain "what goes on in the lives of real people when the economy goes south".
The moving story of how he escaped his destiny to obtain a law degree from Yale is told in a clear, matter-of-fact style that's very effective. Vance was raised mainly by his loving, rough-as-guts grandparents, Mamaw and Papaw. His mother was a drug addict and his childhood was marked by violence, alcoholism, drug addiction and verbal abuse.
Vance argues that it's not society that fails kids like him but their families. Contentious. Not surprisingly, his no-holds-barred, insider's account has provoked heated debate.
Love Wins
Debbie Cenziper and Jim Obergefell
Affirm Press
First-time American author Jim Obergefell describes himself as an “accidental activist”. Co-authored by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Debbie Cenziper, Love Wins is a deeply moving account of how he challenged Ohio’s ban on the recognition of same-sex marriage – and won. Thanks to him, in 2015 the United States Supreme Court ruled that same-sex couples could no longer be denied the right to marry.
Jim and his partner John had been together for more than 20 years when John was struck, at age 45, by a deadly neurological disease. Knowing they had little time left, in 2013 the couple flew to Maryland, where same-sex marriage was legal. They married on the tarmac, as John was too sick to leave the plane. Upon their return to Ohio they learnt that their home state would not recognise their marriage. When John died, his death certificate would record him as unmarried, the space for “surviving spouse” left blank. That was intolerable, so the couple retained civil rights lawyer Al Gerhardstein to sue the state of Ohio.
With same-sex marriage such a political hot potato, this book about one man’s battle to change the law is a timely reminder of just how much marriage equality matters to those affected. As always, the personal is the political. Love Wins puts a powerful case for marriage equality simply by describing Jim and John’s love story – how they met, their happiness together, the devastating diagnosis and Jim’s round-the-clock care for John as his health declined.
Against that background, when Jim tells the judge that, “John’s final record as a person and as a citizen of Ohio should reflect and respect our 20-year relationship and legal marriage. Not to do so is … hurtful for the rest of time”, it’s difficult to disagree.
The book explains the at times complex legal issues in a straightforward, succinct way. The descriptions of the court hearings and, in particular, what the various judges said during argument, are particularly interesting, providing a fascinating insight into how the judicial process works. The suspense builds as the case moves through the various stages towards its final resolution in the highest court in the land.
A beautifully crafted book which demonstrates that love really does trump hate.
The Puzzleheaded Girl
Christina Stead
Text
Jonathan Franzen has hailed Christina Stead’s The Man Who Loved Children as a masterpiece and others have compared her to Tolstoy. In recognition of her inimitable talent, Text Classics has republished a number of the late Australian author’s books, including The Puzzleheaded Girl, four novellas connected by theme, originally published in 1967.
The first concerns the idealistic Honor, who disdains money yet is happy to accept it from a succession of men so she can survive. The second revolves around Lydia, an American coquette transplanted to Paris who leads a string of beaux on a merry and at times cruel dance. The third is about a country house that is haunted, and the fourth is the story of Linda, another young American heartbreaker in Paris.
Common themes include the struggle to escape a conventional life, and the toll marriage extracts. These are perfectly pitched stories of flight.
