Recitatif

Recitatif: A Story by Toni Morrison
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I noticed this book in a Large Print section of my local library and picked it up because it was short.
I skipped the Introduction, read it and my first impression was: where is the story?
Luckily it was pretty short, 51 pages in Large Print, so I could not complain about wasted time.
To fill the saved time I looked into the Introduction - lxiii pages of it, which translates to 63.
Now I understood that there are 2 crucial aspects of this book:
- firstly, it is the only short story of this author.
So what???
- secondly, one of the girls admitted to the orphanage - Twyla - makes a comment that the other girl was of different race and that she smelled funny.
So what???
Zadie Smith, the author of the Introduction, explained - one of them was BLACK!.
On Goodreads page I noticed that on the front pages of some editions there are images of white and black faces.
Probably it is right because otherwise I would not remember the initial mention that girls were of different races because in the book, the girls meet each other 4 times, in different circumstances and there is no hint that anybody noticed their race nor that it affected in any way their life, their family or career.
And that is as it should be.
So - what is all that fuss about?

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Bila Yarrudhanggalanghuray

Bila Yarrudhanggalangdhuray by Anita Heiss
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

A very sad book about disoriented and misplaced people.
It managed also to confuse me a lot.

It starts with father and daughter watching white people building homes.
Daughter observes: "...they are making their own homes like ours but they will not be moved on, not like us..."

Homes like ours - unfortunately the book does not say a word about living conditions of Aborigines, about their homes. They mostly sleep under a clear sky, there is one or two mentions about collecting tree bark to build some shelter.

The book also does not say much about homes of white people, but they look messy.
When the flood comes and the family has to escape to the attic, it appears that the entrance is over a dining table and there is no ladder at home.

Warning - the following text is a spoiler!

The main character - Wagadhaany - is a young Aboriginal girl working as a servant for family of Bradleys. They are Catholics which maybe suggests an Irish origin.
How come she became a servant?
It looks like most of her tribe, her whole family, are living freely on the outskirts of Gundagai. She misses them awfully. She is allowed to visit them quite often, but still, most of the time she is longing for them and for their lifestyle.

1852 floods destroy the town.
Half of Bradleys family drowned, two brothers James and David and Wagadhaany survived.
We learn that Bradley's home is one of only three which were not destroyed.

New character appears - Louise Spencer - young lady, who lost all her family, including young husband, in the flood.
Fortunately she comes from quite affluent family so without much trouble she got her home rebuilt and arrives in a carriage on the horseracing track.
Most important thing we learn about her is, that she is a devoted Quacker, a person with very strong conviction about equality of all people and the duty of love and care for your neighbour.

At the racecourse Luise meets James Bradley and from the first moment she feel a very strong attraction to him.

Few months passed and they are married.
Many questions.
There is no mentions about any connection of Louise to any relatives, family friends, Quacker community. She is totally independent, totally alone - was it possible?
Questions:
- James Bradley presents himself as a very primitive and rather brutal person.
For Louise, physical attraction obscures these faults, but is there nobody around her to open her eyes?
- financial settlement?
She is probably better situated than James Bradley and what? she gives all her resources to him?

Next many pages describe how much Wagadhaany is missing her tribe and how important for her is time spent with her people.
Unfortunately the reader will not learn anything about any events, ceremonies, practical issues of daily life of her tribe. They just live happily.

In first chapters of the book, David Bradley seems to play significant role. He is attracted physically to Wagadhaany and this attractions got some dangerous shades.
Luckily, very quickly he just disappears from the story. Why was he there at all?

Bradley family moves to Wagga Wagga.
Wagadhaany moved with with them, agaists her will, mostly because David Bradley insists.
Why?

As we do not know anything about life of Wagadhaany tribe, similarly we do not learn anything about Bradley family.
We learn that they employ a number of stockmen, Whites and Aborigines, so sometimes Louisa and Wagadhaany are more busy with preparing meals. The reader does not know what is the rhythm of life of this household
We know that James Bradley is preoccupied with ambition to become a mayor of Wagga Wagga so he has to spend lots of time drinking with influential neighbours. There is no mention of any social life, any mention about developent of the town.

Luckily Wagadhaany got in touch with the local Aboriginal tribe which in many ways make her life bearable.
She manages to create her own family and eventually to reunite with her original tribe.
Happy ending?
I am too much confused to confirm.

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