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“The Strays”, the debut novel by Australian author Emily Bitto was published in 2014 and won the Stella Prize in 2015.  The story follows Evan and Helena Trentham as they establish a school of modernist artists in Melbourne in the 1930s, by inviting a number of artists to live and work in their large home.  Although this is a work of fiction, it is clear that Bitto was influenced by the “Heidi Circle”, a group of avant-garde painters, intellectuals, artists and writers who, in the 1930s, 40s and 50s, lived and worked at “Heidi”, Melbourne for extended periods of time.

Lily, the narrator of the story, is befriended by one of the Trentham daughters on her first day at school, aged 8.  Over the following 8 years, Lily is increasingly drawn to, and into, the Trentham family and “circle”, finding the lack of rules and restrictions there an appealing contrast to being an only child of conservative, middle-class parents.

Lily describes how she and the three Trentham daughters are essentially neglected, being left to their own devices and allowed to do what they want, while the adults self-indulge in their art and bohemian lifestyle.  The young girls witness and participate in activities that, arguably, they should not experience at their ages.  These experiences have deep impacts on their development and adult lives and it is perhaps not surprising that all four end up paying huge prices for those years of neglect.

Bitto writes beautifully, with figurative language used throughout, making the text lyrical and poetic, but she is also able to evoke people and places with a few well-chosen, concise sentences. 

This is a book about the desires and strivings to lead unconventional lives and becoming extraordinary, but Bitto tackles many issues in this story; idealists serving the ‘noble cause’ of art; society’s reaction to avant-garde art; neglectful parenting which later creates dysfunctional relationships; girlhood friendships and coming-of-age; loyalty and betrayal; and envy and jealousy, to name a few.  As a consequence, it can be difficult to determine a central focus in the story: is it about leading an unconventional life and becoming remarkable?  For me, this apparent lack of a main focus distracted only slightly from finding the book a very engaging and enjoyable read.  Others in the group appeared to feel the same, with the scores ranging from 6-10 and an overall score of 8.2, which puts it in the top 5 of all the books we’ve read. 

Carol, Book Club Coordinator

This book is regarded by some as a ‘novella’, as it is short (this one is about 180 pages) and focuses on one or two main themes and characters.  Haruf wrote it when he was (knowingly) dying with cancer, completing it just a few days before he died.  I felt that these circumstances were reflected in the narrative; there is a prominent carpe diem philosophy throughout it and an ending which seemed rather sinister to me, although some may find a note of optimism in it.  

As with all of Haruf’s stories, this one is set in the fictional, small, rural town of Holt, Colorado.  Two elderly, lonely people and one courageous proposal lead to companionship and happiness, albeit for a limited period of time, as a consequence of close-minded, bigoted people and coercive control.

This is a simple, beautifully-written and poignant story.  It is skillfully crafted; the pasts of the two main characters are slowly revealed through their conversations with each other, and the characters of others in the story are exposed with just a few, apt lines of text.

Most of the group appreciated and enjoyed the book, with a range of scores of 5 to 9.

Carol, Discussion Leader