Life On Volcanoes: Contemporary Essays
Janet McCallister starts this book by paying tribute to its writers before self-assuredly commenting that her purpose was almost a homage to these women and that her “selfish aim was to get them to write more'' that she could read. A noble and novel approach no doubt. What she has curated is a masterclass in modern non-fiction writing. Each storyteller explores hidden depths of life, femininity, sexuality and ambition – just to name a few of the topics covered.
So much talent goes into the construction of these stories (and they are a kind of narrative or story) that they produce messages that are poignant, meaningful and provocative. The essays of education and the oft mind numbing use of quoting, referencing and research (remember APA stylings?) has almost reduced this genre to an acronym for remembering body paragraph structures for me. The essay genre is, however, such a rich opportunity for writers to explore elements of life in a way that is free and unrestrained – as is demonstrable in this collection. Hopefully wonderfully refreshing works like these will lift the stigma of the genre for others too.
There is something quite freeing in the topics they have all chosen, many of which are those which a number of readers will struggle with behind closed doors. In this collection the concepts are thrust into the limelight and the taboo is seemingly lifted.
Courtney Sina Meredith’s offering is a tear-inducing recount of her struggles with endometriosis and the effect it has on 10% of women, yet – as she so eruditely spells out – about the same percentage of men suffer with prostate cancer to much better medical knowledge and practice. As someone who has watched a family member suffer with endo, the pain certainly hits home.
Similarly Tulsa Thompson is heartbreakingly honest about the life of those without work and struggling to pay rent. Her systematic breakdown of what she terms the five ghosts of society is both profoundly insightful and equally bleak. Her truth is raw and unfiltered and she lays it bare like a sacrificial animal in the hope of a better tomorrow for all.
The other writings are equally memorable, from Tze Ming Mok’s stoic version of her family history intertwining Han Chinese with her New Zealand story, to Tui Gordon’s exploration of sex and feminism, and finally Ruth Larsen’s bitingly accurate view of life as a parent and the push pull factors that go along with that job title. Each of these writers condense so much of themselves into the pages of writing that you feel as if they are known, friends from years ago.
McAllister is right to have collated and published these writings. They construct a literary capsule of how we are, right here and right now. The tales are warts (or ovarian cysts) and all, and you would not want them any other way.
Title: Life On Volcanoes
Author: Collected Authors, edited by Janet McAllister
ISBN: 9780994138392
Publisher: Beatnik Publishing
RRP: $25
Publication: May 2019
Format: Hardback
Ages: 15+
Reviewer: Chris Reed, Macleans College, Auckland
Recommendation: Highly recommended
Opening sentence: But where were we?
You can buy this book here