This review is part of the Literature World Tour.
Helen Garner is one of Australia’s best-loved authors, having been a recurring name on the bestseller lists down under for many years now. But in the UK she has remained relatively unknown. Now, with The Spare Room, all that is changing, and deservedly so.
The phrase ‘small but perfectly formed’ could have been coined specially for The Spare Room. Slim enough to read in one sitting, but so memorable it will remain with you for a lifetime, this is a book which carries an incredible emotional power.
Imagine yourself in the shoes of our narrator. An old friend is coming to stay in your spare room. So far, so normal. But this old friend has terminal cancer and, tragically, she can’t accept that she’s dying. How would you behave? Do you shop the dodgy clinic she’s clinging to as a lifeline? Do you bite your lip when she talks about how much better she’s feeling? Could you stop the exhaustion of constant care getting the better of you? How long do you think you could go on for?
Now let me tell you that our narrator happens to be called Helen . . . and that the book’s author nursed a dying friend. From the off, I was moved to the extreme by The Spare Room, but this discovery added an extra weight to the book.
The Spare Room beautifully depicts the maelstrom of emotions that face carers everywhere: the quiet fury that can melt away in an instant, the guilt at not being able to help enough, the frustration at someone who can’t face the truth. Its sparse language only adds to its weight and its dark humour makes it all the more poignant. It is a novel that isn’t afraid to confront the contentious issue of death, and this is where its universality lies. I can’t recommend this book enough.
Previously in Australia: GER's review of Rabbit-Proof Fence
Next stop on the Literature World Tour: North America!
