The Railwayman's Wife

by Ashley Hay

In a small town on the land's edge, in the strange space at a war's end, a widow, a poet and a doctor each try to find their own peace, and their own new story.

On the south coast of New South Wales, in 1948, people chase their dreams through the books in the railway's library. Anikka Lachlan searches for solace after her life is destroyed by a single random act. Roy McKinnon, who found poetry in the mess of war, has lost his words and his hope. Frank Draper is trapped by the guilt of those his treatment and care failed on their first day of freedom. All three struggle with the same question: how now to be alive.

Written in clear, shining prose and with an eloquent understanding of the human heart, The Railwayman's Wife explores the power of beginnings and endings, and how hard it can be sometimes to tell them apart. It's a story of life, loss and what comes after; of connection and separation, longing and acceptance. Most of all, it celebrates love in all its forms, and the beauty of discovering that loving someone can be as extraordinary as being loved yourself.

• ISBN10: 1743318014
• ISBN13: 9781743318010
• Publish Date: 2 January 2014 (first published 25 March 2013)
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 31 March 2021
• Publish Country: AU
• Imprint: Allen & Unwin
• Edition: Main
• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 320
• Language: English

Reviews

[Lianne]

I was provided an ARC of this book by the publishers in exchange for an honest review. This review in its entirety (including a spoiler note not included below) was originally posted at eclectictales.com: http://www.eclectictales.com/blog/2016/04/29/review-the-railwaymans-wife/

The Railwayman’s Wife was an interesting read with a narrative that captures much of the nuances, pauses, and stops that happen in life–those fleeting moments as it were. The setting is perfect for the story, its quiet and beauty contasting with the inner turmoils of the characters. The book is very much character-driven, so if you’re looking for a particular event or arc guiding the narrative, there isn’t really one beyond the characters’ various personal journeys and their interactions. It’s also an interesting look at loss of varying types–of a loved one, of their old life, of themselves–and how they cope in the aftermath. I really felt for Ani and Isabelle, whom we meet first in the novel, especially as we’ve caught glimpses at the beginning of the novel and throughout as to how happy they were.

Unfortunately in the same vein I never quite warmed to the characters to truly empathise with them. They were interesting in their own right with what they faced, but I don’t know if it’s the writing or just the nature of the way their stories were presented that just left me a little detached to their stories on the whole, which is unfortunate because it would’ve packed a far more emotional punch if I were more invested in their characters. I did however find it interesting that while Mac’s death more or less jump-starts the novel, he did feel like a fourth character in the principal characters list as we do see glimpses of who he was and what his life was like before and after he met Ani leading up to his death. The loss of his life is also in keeping with the themes of this novel.

The Railwayman’s Wife was overall an interesting novel in the themes it tackles. I don’t think it was quite the fit with me as the characters weren’t terribly memorable but the setting and the writing had its moments. It had its lulls. Nonetheless I’m glad to have read it. Readers who like historical fiction novels set in Australia and are characte-driven may want to check out this title.

[Leah]

When Sam Redman, the PR for Allen and Unwin emailed me and asked if I would like to review Ashley Hay’s novel The Railwayman’s Wife, it was a difficult decision to make. So often I say yes to these wonderful sounding novels and they never end up being books I enjoy because they’re just not to my tastes. They’re normally quite slow-going, and I end up losing my attention on the novel after a short while and then I’m stuck; do I carry on and muddle through or do I just stop reading because it’s going to end in disaster? But the way Sam talked about The Railwayman’s Wife was captivating. It sounded enchating, so I said yes. I will be honest, it isn’t my kind of read, and it wasn’t perfect, but I am really glad I read it because it was both sad and sweet at the same time.

The Railwayman’s Wife is set in the 1940s, just after the war. In the small town of Thirroul, in Australia, Ani Lachlan lives with her husband Mac and daughter Isabel and their life is good. They’ve made it through the war, they’re still all together and they cannot foresee the tragedy that is going to befall them, as one day, Mac goes out to work as a railwayman and doesn’t return. Ani has no idea how her life will go on from this moment, but a job in the railway library means less time to think about what’s befallen her, along with a friendship with war-veteran-turned-failed-poet Roy McKinnon, along with Dr Frank Draper. Roy and Ani’s friendship is just what Ani needs to keep her going, and they all lean on each other as they try to find their way in this new world, all struggling with different things, and all struggling to stay alive.

Ashley Hay is a magnificent writer, her prose is staggeringly good, sometimes too good for someone like me, who prefers the simple way of life. The simple way of describing things, but I appreciated the words nevertheless. I didn’t always understand them, and I sometimes got lost in what exactly she was originally describing, but it was incredibly well written. The words just flowed, and where stories like these are normally clogged full with words, this one rolled off the tongue nicely and I found myself rather flying through it, just letting the narrative wash over me. It wasn’t the most exciting of books, but I did enjoy seeing Ani navigate her way through her grief. I enjoyed reading about the simple pleasures of living in Thirroul, it sounded like my idea of heaven, somewhere I would love to live, with only the noises of the trains for company and a lovely library and the beautiful beach. It sounded just lovely.

The Railwayman’s Wife is definitely a sad tale, there is no happy ending here, despite Bella’s penchant for books with happy endings. (A very wise child; I, too, enjoy skipping ahead to the end to make sure a book has its happy ever after, though I am better at not doing that these days.) The novel practically drips with sadness, and it’s clear that the time in which it was set was mostly a depressing, sad kind of time. I quite enjoyed the tales of Ani, but I particularly enjoyed getting to know Roy McKinnon, I felt sad for him that he could easily write a poem whilst in the depths of war, but failed to come up with anything in such a haven as Thirroul. I thought the book was really sweet. No, not my usual read, and it didn’t necessarily blow me away but I am super glad I read it, because it was lovely to read, despite its subject matter. As I have said, Ashley Hay is a stunning writer, and all the plaudits must go to her for a sweet story and such mesmerising writing, it’s the sort of book you want to savour, because it is so beautifully written, I just wish I could have the wherewithal to appreciate it more, as I fear most of the book was lost on me, but what I understood I enjoyed, and I am so glad I read it.