Chekhov’s Mum

Chekhov’s Mum is a contemporary novel which weaves historical elements of WWII and a global Mass Resettlement Scheme throughout a suburban narrative where the complexities of ordinary peoples’ lives are explored and hidden truths exposed. (Below the surface etc.) Lucy Gordon is the only Australian girl living in a garden settlement on the outskirts of Brisbane, where displaced Europeans have come to live. She and her family reside next door to the Ostarbeiter, Anna, who as a teenager was taken by the Nazis in World War II. During Lucy’s formative years a strong bond is forged between Lucy and Anna. Lucy is closer to Anna than she is to Faith, her own mother. As a pre-teen Lucy is devastated when Faith moves their family away from Anna’s brood of eight. Weakened by distance, the bond is never truly broken. A well-educated and confident Lucy marries into a privileged family. She carries the hopes and dreams of a young bride in love. Lucy is disillusioned in the marriage when her husband shows his darker side. After a violent outburst which leaves Lucy physical and emotionally battered, she turns to Anna for help. With her marriage over she seeks comfort and love in a new affair which has devastating consequences. A naïve Lucy encounters a drug fuelled lover’s tryst where there is more violence; only this time she is not seen as the victim. Both Lucy and her lover are both hospitalised. Lucy is charged with attempted murder and her legal team mounts a defence of Battered Woman Syndrome (BWS). Throughout the trial Lucy’s estranged husband is obstructive and obstinate. He denies Lucy’s defence as a sham As a member of parliament and from an entitled family he has always had the ability to wield his power over her and anyone who stands in his way. With friends in high places he will stop at nothing to protect his image. During the trial Lucy is at breaking point. Anna, the other mother, fears that Lucy will not survive so visits the estranged husband. Her appeal for compassion is denied. In an explosive meeting, bones are kicked from an old wardrobe, and a long-held secret is revealed with dire consequences. A single shot from a rifle dramatically changes the court’s direction. Chekhov’s Mum is a tribute to motherly love, demonstrating that there is no greater warrior than a mother protecting her child. The novel’s backdrop is reminiscent of Tim Winton’s Cloudstreet, yet closer in setting to the Brisbane of Nick Earl’s Zig Zag Street . A refugee’s tale comparable to AS Patric’s, Black Rock White City where the past dissects the present and instructs how we live and how the past travels inside us all. THIS NOVEL IS FOR EVERY PERSON, MAN WOMAN OR CHILD WHO HAS SUFFERED OPPRESSION OF SELF THROUGH A DAMNING DOMESTIC ABUSIVE SITUATION. CHEKHOV, PLAYWRITE, IN THE OPENING SCENE A CHARACTER IMAGINES SHE IS ON STAGE. READS LIKE A SCENE PLOT. This roman-à-clef is told in the third person as a way of distancing the author from the narrative. However, the protagonists’ voices are as honest as Maya Angelou’s autobiographical, I know Why the Caged Bird Sings. It is a coming of age story which illustrates the strength of women’s support in dealing with patriarchal trauma. The novel’s contemporary narrative style resonates with Lianne Moriarty’s Big Little Lies. —- ISBN: 9798321275092