The Paperbark Shoe by Goldie Goldbloom - BOOK REVIEW

Title:  The Paperbark Shoe
Author:  Goldie Goldbloom
Publisher:   Picador Books, a division of Macmillan
Release Date:  March 29, 2011
Paperback, 384 pages
ISBN 10:    0312674503
ISBN 13:  9780312674502
The Book Depository / Amazon

Goodreads description:

Winner of the 2008 AWP Award for the Novel

From 1941 to 1947, eighteen thousand Italian prisoners of war were sent to Australia. The Italian surrender that followed the downfall of Mussolini had created a novel circumstance: prisoners who theoretically were no longer enemies. Many of these exiles were sent to work on isolated farms, unguarded.

The Paperbark Shoe is the unforgettable story of Gin Boyle—an albino, a classically trained pianist, and a woman with a painful past. Disavowed by her wealthy stepfather, her unlikely savior is the farmer Mr. Toad—a little man with a taste for women's corsets. Together with their two children, they weather the hardship of rural life and the mockery of their neighbors. But with the arrival of two Italian prisoners of war, their lives are turned upside down. Thousands of miles from home, Antonio and John find themselves on Mr. and Mrs. Toad's farm, exiles in the company of exiles. The Paperbark Shoe is a remarkable novel about the far-reaching repercussions of war, the subtle violence of displacement, and what it means to live as a captive—in enemy country, and in one's own skin.

My Take: 

Gin Boyle lives a hardscrabble life on a farm in Wgalkatchem, located in West Australia.  Trained as a classical pianist, she won every competition she entered, but when it came down to actually hiring her in a company, her albinism caused her to be passed over.

She is an emotionally damaged woman, having been "rescued" from the asylum her abusive stepfather placed her in by her husband Agrippas Toad (Toad), a squat, ugly man rumored by the neighbors to be attracted to other men.  With his corset collection and his refusal to look at her naked, he IS an odd man.

With all hands at the war effort, the Australian government offers farmers Italian POW's as farm labor, and Antonio and Gianpaola (John) come to stay with them to help them work the farm.

Gin and Toad have two living children, Mudsey and Alf, and Gin is carrying their fourth child when the novel begins.

I found this novel interesting and oddly fascinating, with gorgeous writing.  I can't say that I "enjoyed" it as much, because it's not an easy read.  The life Gin lives is so stark and loveless.  It seems that all of her emotions have been stripped away by her hardships, leaving her with little love for herself or her children.   When it seems that Antonio is paying her more attention than he ought, she struggles with it, but is so starved for love that she allows her imagination to carry her away.

Initially, I was a bit confused at the idea that the Toads would let their POW's build their own place on the land to live on their own, but then I thought, "Well ... they're in the Australian outback with no money ... where are they going to go?"

The descriptive prose paints a total picture of the deprivation endured by those living in the harsh outback, with all of the grit, dirt, and poverty that entails.

Although not a "feel good" book, The Paperbark Shoe is a good bet for someone who likes literary, character-driven fiction.  I do look forward to reading more from Ms. Goldbloom.

QUOTES (from an ARC; may be different in final copy):

Kangaroos and emus destroyed the new fences, dingoes ate my hens, rabbits ate the grass, box poison killed the sheep and hard work killed the horses.  Stinking smut made the wheat kernels foul and we lost the entire crop to septorian rust, which shrivelled the grain, not once, but many times.  There were a dozen easy ways to die out there:  kicked by a horse, shot by a gun, thrown from the sulky, drowned in the dam, bitten by a snake, fell asleep in the sun, caught in the chaff cutter, burst appendix, laryngitis, childbirth.

It's a sad state of affairs to be ashamed of my own home, my children running around in bleached flour sacks with wheat seeds germinating in the dirt underneath their fingernails, the nest of mice I've been feeding that live in the plush armchair, my husband's collection of Edwardian corsetry out in the machine shed, the beautiful Italian in the tin shed, and most of all, myself.

The farmers in Wyalkatchem are proud of their children for being able to scare off a licensed teacher.  It shows guts and planning, qualities much appreciated in a farming community.  They're not ones to tolerate those who are different in any way, those who show weakness.

Writing:  5 out of 5 stars

Plot:   4 out of 5 stars

Characters: 4 out of 5 stars

Reading Immersion:   3.5 out 5 stars

BOOK RATING:   4.1 out of 5 stars

Sensitive Reader:  There is some homosexuality portrayed, as well as a brief description of sexual abuse.

BLOGGERS:  Have you reviewed this book? If so, please feel free to leave a link to your review in the comments section; I will also add your link to the body of my review.

Read an excerpt

Read the first few chapters (PDF file)

BUY IT:  At Amazon, The Book Depository, through the publisher's website,  and through other on-and-off-line booksellers.

 

This book is included in my list for the 2011 ARC Reading Challenge

Disclosure:  I  received a  complimentary copy of this title from the publisher to facilitate my review.  No other compensation was received and I was not required to post a positive review.