From the opening line of Kate Kruimink’s HEARTSEASE, ‘I saw my mother for a long time after she died’, Kate Kruimink sets the tone for an emotionally gut-wrenching novel that explores the lasting effects of grief through the experiences of two sisters who each wrestle with the ongoing pain that memories can store.
Kruimink explores the ways that two sisters who were once exceptionally close, are anguished by ongoing grief following the death of the mother when they were teenagers. The older Charlotte (‘Lot’) becomes an employment lawyer who marries, has children, and divorces while outwardly suggesting an imperviousness to the loss she has experienced. While Ellen (‘Nellie’), younger by eight years attempts to process her grief by following a path of depression and regular drug use where she sees herself as dysfunctional in comparison to her high achieving sister. Embracing elements of the paranormal, the experience of lingering grief is conveyed as Nellie compares her mother’s ghost to, ‘a phantom limb, or a spasm of muscle memory’ evoking the trauma of loss that permeates the pages of the novel. As the two sisters reunite at a silent retreat seeking to rekindle their relationship, Kruimink paints an evocative image of the Tasmanian countryside, adding to the haunting atmosphere of the novel foreshadowing the sorrowful events set to occur. Initially told from Nellie’s perspective, we settle in to the unfolding narrative, developing our bond with Nellie, appreciating her wit and irreverence. But before we get comfortable, the novel pivots with the revelation that Nellie has died. Jarring at first, this development subverts our expectations as readers and a quick flip back over the previous few pages ensures that we have indeed read correctly. From there, the narrative shifts between the perspectives of Lot and Nellie, offering a more complex exploration of loss and grief. It takes a few moments to adjust to the shift, where the characterisation of Lot is developed as she contends with the mortal pragmatism related to organ donations and funeral arrangements with the loss of her sister prompting a resurgence in her grief for her mother. Nellie’s narrative is intertwined, signposted with a countdown to her final moments, which builds tension as she recalls her own life story which is both touched by grief but also filled with moments of relatability as dark humour lightens what could otherwise be a novel burdened by the seriousness of the subject matter it explores.
For while this novel contains heavy moments, it’s this balance that Kruimink manages exceptionally well, offering readers the space to meditate upon their own experiences of grief and the value and importance of familial bonds that have the capacity to stretch beyond the realm of the living. The relationships are by no means perfect, and it’s the messiness of these flawed characters that adds authenticity and solace to the depth of the bond that these sisters share, free of any saccharine-saturated sentimentality. Further, Kruimink resists the temptation to mythologise the dead, affirming the unresolved emotions and mixed feelings that death can bring both in the immediate aftermath and for all the years that follow. In doing so, the novel offers hope through its empathetic representation of life, loss and grief.
Publisher Pan Macmillan Australia. ISBN 9781761561955
