Threads of Connection – a novel
by Jane Shearer
Jane Shearer’s second novel is set in Christchurch in the third decade of the 21st century, a time when the effects of climate change impinge upon daily life even more than they do at present. The novel suggests the presence of a substantial number of characters from her first novel, ‘Broken is Beautiful’ and this book presents a situation in which her earlier concerns with mental health are replaced by the struggle to conserve, protect and make optimum use of Earth’s dwindling resources.
In fact the battle against the causes of climate-induced social change is omnipresent, and leads, in the end, to something of an examination of such philosophical quandaries as the existence of ‘a just war’, ‘good vs evil’, ‘right vs wrong’ and the age-old question of whether or not the end justifies the means. In the context of the book these quandaries take the form of a decision to highlight the evils of climate change through the destruction of a laden coal-export ship at anchor in Lyttelton Harbour.
The phrase ‘in the end’, above, is used advisedly, for just on half the book is devoted to the author’s story-bearers and the interactions between them that provide the title. This brings their characters into sharp focus, and the model that Shearer has chosen for their relationship is very much that of the ‘web of inclusion’ promoted by Sally Helgesen in the 1990s, even if the book’s initial methods of achieving it are unnecessarily (but typically) politically correct and cumbersome.
Whatever the merits of this approach to organisation, two of the three principal movers and shakers using it emerge as Earth Mothers convinced of their right to enlighten and judge anyone whom they feel needs it because they need to be needed. Only Julia resonates with reality in her asserting that ‘We don’t need to help everyone’ after launching a successful help programme for deprived children.
However, her reservations in that regard meet the same club-wielding response as those concerned with the mandatory use of Maori karakia, waiata and vocabulary in contexts where English is otherwise used: that is, “Julia, which stone are you hiding under?” This remark, together with the assertion on the same page that, “...Sumner is still awfully white......” indicates that Shearer may not be fully on top of all of New Zealand’s social currents.
Moving on to the philosophical questions mentioned previously, though, the author does a much fairer job in portraying the response of her characters to the destruction of the coal ship, for their reactions vary from the enthusiastic support and involved complicity of the zealots to the stark horror at such illegality of those who recognise a greater duty to society. This mirrors the totality of the bemusement afflicting New Zealanders in the 1980s when ‘direct action’ both halted an international rugby match in one instance and sank a protest vessel only four years later. In both situations, the question of where one draws the line was well-asked if never solved.
‘Threads of Connection’ foreshadows a world that may well lie in wait for most of us but, as a recent government’s decision to halt New Zealand’s coal production in favour of importing foreign, and dirtier, coal demonstrated, dealing with our energy shortfalls will require action as well as identification.
by Jane Shearer
Jane Shearer’s second novel is set in Christchurch in the third decade of the 21st century, a time when the effects of climate change impinge upon daily life even more than they do at present. The novel suggests the presence of a substantial number of characters from her first novel, ‘Broken is Beautiful’ and this book presents a situation in which her earlier concerns with mental health are replaced by the struggle to conserve, protect and make optimum use of Earth’s dwindling resources.
In fact the battle against the causes of climate-induced social change is omnipresent, and leads, in the end, to something of an examination of such philosophical quandaries as the existence of ‘a just war’, ‘good vs evil’, ‘right vs wrong’ and the age-old question of whether or not the end justifies the means. In the context of the book these quandaries take the form of a decision to highlight the evils of climate change through the destruction of a laden coal-export ship at anchor in Lyttelton Harbour.
The phrase ‘in the end’, above, is used advisedly, for just on half the book is devoted to the author’s story-bearers and the interactions between them that provide the title. This brings their characters into sharp focus, and the model that Shearer has chosen for their relationship is very much that of the ‘web of inclusion’ promoted by Sally Helgesen in the 1990s, even if the book’s initial methods of achieving it are unnecessarily (but typically) politically correct and cumbersome.
Whatever the merits of this approach to organisation, two of the three principal movers and shakers using it emerge as Earth Mothers convinced of their right to enlighten and judge anyone whom they feel needs it because they need to be needed. Only Julia resonates with reality in her asserting that ‘We don’t need to help everyone’ after launching a successful help programme for deprived children.
However, her reservations in that regard meet the same club-wielding response as those concerned with the mandatory use of Maori karakia, waiata and vocabulary in contexts where English is otherwise used: that is, “Julia, which stone are you hiding under?” This remark, together with the assertion on the same page that, “...Sumner is still awfully white......” indicates that Shearer may not be fully on top of all of New Zealand’s social currents.
Moving on to the philosophical questions mentioned previously, though, the author does a much fairer job in portraying the response of her characters to the destruction of the coal ship, for their reactions vary from the enthusiastic support and involved complicity of the zealots to the stark horror at such illegality of those who recognise a greater duty to society. This mirrors the totality of the bemusement afflicting New Zealanders in the 1980s when ‘direct action’ both halted an international rugby match in one instance and sank a protest vessel only four years later. In both situations, the question of where one draws the line was well-asked if never solved.
‘Threads of Connection’ foreshadows a world that may well lie in wait for most of us but, as a recent government’s decision to halt New Zealand’s coal production in favour of importing foreign, and dirtier, coal demonstrated, dealing with our energy shortfalls will require action as well as identification.
Review by M J Burr
Title: Threads of Connection - a novel
Author: Jane Shearer
Publisher: 3Eyes Publishing
ISBN: 978-0-473-72330-9
RRP: $38.00
Available: Paperback available through Copypress
E-book available broadly on the internet, including Amazon
Author: Jane Shearer
Publisher: 3Eyes Publishing
ISBN: 978-0-473-72330-9
RRP: $38.00
Available: Paperback available through Copypress
E-book available broadly on the internet, including Amazon
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