#Novella To the Islands

• Author: Randolph Stow
  
• Title: To the Islands (126 pg)  1958
• Genre: novella
• Australian TBR List
• #AusReadingMonth23 @ This Reading Life (Brona’s Books)
• #NovNov  @746books (Cathy)
• PS:  Love the cover!

Quickscan:

1. Stephen Heriot, an elderly, careworn, and disillusioned Anglican missionary
2. who abandons his mission when he mistakenly believes
3. he has accidentally killed one of his Aboriginal charges
   
4. in a not entirely unprovoked confrontation.
5. Heriot seeks redemption….through sacrifice.

Good news:

1. Randolph Stow’s book introduced me to a
2. area of Australia that I knew very little about
3. Kimberley, Western Australia
4. ….just a beauttiful landscape.
5. Randolph Stow’s strongest point is
6. his descriptions of the land, fauna and flora.
7. The author was able to link some elements
8. of the landscape and Aboriginal art that
9. eleveated his prose. 
10. I’ve included the quotes and images that impressed me the most.

Bad news:

1. I can emphathize with readers who find the
2. …book boring  or completely give up and mark it DNF.
3. The “hook” or action that should nudge the read
4. to continue did not come in the first 3 chapters.
5. My eyes glazed over  while reading the names of
6. 38 aboriginal characters
7. during the first 3 chapters
8. List included for anyone who wants to read the book
9. …just take the names as they come because the book does get better!

The Rainbow Serpent (lumiri)

“Can the lumiri take you to the sky?” (ch 4)

Good news:

1. Randolph Stow jolts the read in chapter 4 with the 1st plot point.
2. The chapter was absolutely riviting!!  (end of act 1 of 2 act plot)
3. This chapter  “saved” the book for me
4. ….now I’m going to keep reading and follow Heriot’s journey
5. 1st plot point: =  Entering a new world …the bush of Kimberley.
   
6. Heriot  enters the main conflict – fighting his own demons
7. He can’t turn around and re-enter his normal world.
8. He can only move forward…to the ultimate end.
   
9. Heriot crosses his personal Rubicon.

“That pool, waterhole, looks like a pool to bring a man back to life.” (ch 5)

Personal:

1. I must admit that I do not consider this a masterpiece.
2. Read Patrick White’s  Voss… now that is the standard of a masterpiece.
3. An author only improves with age and I did enjoy Stow’s writing style.
4. I will try one of Stow’s other books: Tourmaline and hope to see an improvement.
   
5. Still the character of Stephen Heriot lingers in my mind.
6. The reknowned professor, and writer of biology and
7. neurology at Stanford University Robert Sapolsky says:
8. “We are machines...”
9. …exceptional in our ability to perceive our own experiences and
10. feel emotions about them.
11. It is pointless to hate a machine for its failures.

Baobab trees grow in many parts of the Kimberley

Notes:

1. Explain the title   To the Islands:

1. The Anglican missionary Heriot has a death wish.
2. In Australia’s northwest  desert the old man
3. searches for “the islands” of the Aboriginal dead.
4. “I’m going to a place no one comes home from.” (ch 4)

2. What is the predominant element in the story?

1. Missionary’s goal is to save souls of other men
2. …but Heriot struggles to save his own.

3. Who is the single main character about? 

1. Stephen Heriot, missionary  –
2. Rocky dignity, crumbling cliff, a foundation
3. Headstrong, self-righteous, authoritarian,
4. unwilling to acknowledge his own flaws:
5. “…a man who goes round spreading civilization with a stock-whip…” (ch 1)

4. How does the author handle characterization?

1. The best description of Heriot was not by Randolph Stow.
2. I found the words in the introduction by Bernadette Brennen so vivd:
3. “The momumental, ‘rocklike’ Heriot is physcally and spiritually a
4. …crumbling cliff.”

5. What were the sentences that impressed you the most?  

1. “…We drive people to it,’ he said. ‘
2. The white men at the massacre thought they were protecting property,
3. and Mr Heriot thought he was protecting the mission.
4. Things we asked them to protect.
5. We can pay reparations to people we hurt in our wars,
6. but we don’t ever quite pay back the people we force to hurt them.” (ch 4)

Does Heriot act out of free will….or not?

Or is he just a machine?

Pandanus Palm

Members of the Mission:

1. Mabel
2. Djimbulangari
3. Arthur
4. Garang
5. Djediben (middle-age, Rex’s mother)
6. Rex
7. Ruth
8. Michael
9. Justin
10. Edgar
11. Richard
12. Dambena
13. Nambal
14. Stephen
15. Harrie
16. Maudie
17. Midjel
18. Wunda
19. Ganmeri
20. Grimadada
21. Esther Margaret
22. Ella
23. Wandalo
24. Galumba
25. Galjumbu
26. Michael
27. Dambena
28. Nambal
29. Gregory
30. Nalun
31. Jenny
32. Edward
33. Normie
34. Matthew
35. Mummy Dido (ch 4)
36. Nalida (ch 7)
37. Alunggu (ch 7)
38. Paul (ch 7)

Water lillies of Marglu Billabong East Kimberley

Book is partially based on Ernest Richard Bulmer Gribble (1868 – 1957) was an Australian missionary. Though considered to be temperamentally unsuited to his vocation, he became a strong advocate for better treatment of Australian Aboriginal people.