Arts
Today I have brought in what I think more than a few of us need… a north coast road trip for the mind featuring lovable heroes and easy to hate villains. I can’t promise life will always be this straightforward, but indulge with me in the world of The Banksia House Breakout and enjoy a few days in the sun.The Banksia House Breakout is the debut novel for James Roxburgh. James is an audiologist specialising in the care of the elderly and has used his caring eye to create some compelling characters that challenge our stereotypes of aging.The Banksia House Breakout opens with a quintessentially Sydney scene. An auctioneer slams the gavel on another million dollar sale.Immediately the reader gets the impression that something is amiss. The owner of the bungalow in Ryde is not happy. Ruth has sold her home on the advice of her son Michael. Since the death of her husband, Michael has felt that Ruth is struggling to manage. He’s arranged a room for her at Banksia House and the family home and all its contents have to go.From its cover The Banksia House Breakout looks a twee, feel good romp but I can tell you that it’s opening chapters are dark. And while they are redeemed by some genuine feel good moments, it’s clear that James Roxburgh wants to understand something about the ways that older Australians are treated, or perhaps more aptly, how they are too often relegated into a kind of waiting room to the lives of their significant others.On arriving in Bankia House Ruth makes friends but also enemies. Discovering a clique of ladies in the breakfast room they quickly warn her of Glenn, a nurse whom all the residents fear.Ruth wakes the next morning to Glenn rifling through her things searching for loot. Glenn’s threats are quickly followed by the news that Ruth’s best friend is dying in Brisbane. And so hatches a plan; Ruth and her new friend Beryl must steal a car and get to Brisbane, via Coffs to scatter Beryl’s husband’s ashes, for Ruth to see her friend one more time.I started The Banksia House Breakout kinda hating it. I was getting so angry at Ruth’s son Michaal for his indifferent treatment of his mother, Glenn is just hideous and I wondered how on earth anything positive could emerge as we were being shown so effectively that these people simply had no agency in their lives.And it was just as I was ranting again about these characters that I realised I had developed a connection to the world of the novel and the anger I was feeling was because I knew that these were real situations that some older Australians faced.I don’t know about you but I don’t often start yelling about books. Back when I was able to sit in at cafes or catch a train, I knew a book got me when I had to put it down and wipe away a tear. Well now my cats can assure you The Banksia House Breakout is the real deal because it will have you responding, like it or not.I’m not going to tell you more about Ruth and Beryl’s escape. Suffice to say that it’s eventful.This book hits all the right notes for a rollicking tale. You’ll probably see a few of the twists coming but that doesn’t mean they’re not still satisfying.And as you following the septuagenarians on their adventures watch the reactions and the stereotypes that are invoked. Sure plenty of old men are probably working hard to destroy the world but others are trying to continue incredible lives of value and respect, and constantly being underestimated will only lead to them stealing our cars and joining up with bikies on the Pacific Highway.James Roxburgh’s The Banksia House Breakout is out now and if you want to discover more James will be joining me on FInal Draft in the coming weeks. This week on the show I have a terrific debut YA from Tobias Madden, Anything But Fine