Dunedin writer Paddy Richardson enthralled the audience at QWF 2020 when she spoke about crime writing, so we’re absolutely delighted Paddy is returning to the festival in 2022 to speak about another of her passions, historical fiction.
Paddy will talk with Arrowtown writer and educator Sue Luus about her latest novel, a work described by Anne Else in the NZ Listener as “[o]ne of the best New Zealand historical novels I’ve had the pleasure of reading”.
Sue, like all of us, is very much looking forward to Paddy’s appearance – and this, her review of the book, gives clues to some of the questions she may be asking!
By the Green of the Spring, Paddy Richardson’s historical novel, is the sequel to Through the Lonesome Dark but can be read as a stand-alone. This new novel continues the story of Pansy Williams, Otto Bader and Clem Bright; it explores the turbulent period of New Zealand’s history through the eyes of Otto and Lena, Pansy’s daughter.
In Blackball on the West Coast, the start of World War I has ignited patriotic hysteria. Settlers of German heritage – once friends, lovers, workmates and valued members of society – are suddenly viewed with suspicion and declared enemies. Men of German origin are taken to be interned on Somes Matiu Island.
Otto is seized before light one morning, incarcerated and told to appeal his arrest. Despite the conditions on the island, Otto remains hopeful that by keeping his head down and following the official channels he will be released. As days drift into months, his appeals continue and his letters to Pansy go unanswered. To save his sanity and capture the events of the time Otto begins writing to Pansy in secret in hidden notebooks.
Otto’s internment raised so many questions for me. I wondered about the relationship between belonging, hope and resilience and how current these issues remain. I wondered too about the innocent who have no say in the decisions of authority.
The plight of women affected by the decisions of men is a strong thread throughout the novel. Lena, Pansy’s daughter, provides an insightful perspective. Her story is told from her childhood in Blackball through to adulthood away from the Coast.
Paddy has sensitively explored a tumultuous period in New Zealand’s history in her textured novel. I fell in love with the characters and didn’t want the novel to end, so much so that I immediately started over after reading the last page. It invites thought and compassion for the circumstances in which humans find themselves, often through no actions of their own, and reminds me of the value of kindness.
A timely novel in today’s world, By the Green of the Spring raised so many questions which I am looking forward to chatting with Paddy about. One of them will be, is there another book in this series? I feel like there is still so much I need to know about the characters and their lives.
– Sue Luus will interview Paddy Richardson on Sunday 13 November 2022. Tickets are available now.
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