BOYD ANDERSON The Heart Radical. Reviewed by Suzanne Rath
This compelling account of a little-known period is rich in history and plot.
The fifth novel by Australian author Boyd Anderson is set in a relatively unknown time in history, covering several years in Malaya from Japanese occupation until the ’emergency’, when communist conflict with the British eventually led to the formation of an independent Federation of Malaya.
Most of the story is set in 1951, centring on the love story between Dr Anna Thumboo and Toh Kei, a communist leader who has been falsely accused of murder. Beginning in the present day, Dr Thumboo’s son Paris, now a historian, has a chance encounter with Su-Lin, the daughter of Toh Kei’s lawyer, KC Tan. After several meetings, Paris presents Su-Lin with his mother’s journal, excerpts from which form the third narrative voice. Over the course of the novel, Su-Lin threads the story together, both from her viewpoint as an eight-year-old girl as well as from her present-day persona as a human rights lawyer. It’s clear that the events of 1951, including ‘The Trial’ – which makes up most of the book – influenced her life deeply:
It seems to me sometimes that not a day goes by when I don’t find that year, and its farrago of experiences, both distressing and exhilarating, bubbling up into my presence of mind. For one thing, it was the year I determined that the essence of my life would indeed be the law.
From the young Su-Lin’s compelling account, we learn that her childhood until 1951 was a blissfully ignorant one, an ignorance aided by social norms which forbade children from asking too many questions. However, when Su-Lin begins to shadow her beloved father, she finds herself in a world surrounded by communist terrorists, ex-soldiers and torture victims. In a relationship reminiscent of Harper Lee’s characters Scout and Atticus Finch in To Kill A Mockingbird, Su-Lin takes a deep interest in her father’s representation of Toh Kei, visiting the home of Dr Thumboo with him and attending the courtroom during the case.
Meanwhile, Dr Thumboo’s journals weave her own personal story; as a village doctor, she had treated Toh Kei and other rebels during the Japanese occupation. This led to her imprisonment and torture, as well as a romance with Toh Kei, which impacted not only on her life but on that of her son, Paris. While Anderson shies away from giving details of their romance, the journals provide a satisfying secondary plot, although the tone of Anna’s writing points towards impending doom from the outset:
Without faith there can be no possible purpose, and these few years have stripped me of faith. Now that I have such a short time left, that lack of purpose, lack of faith, is not welcome. Soon I will or will not meet my maker, and discover whether faith is ill-founded, as I now believe, or if I have been deceived yet again.
The Heart Radical is rich in history and plot, and even the most ardent readers of historical fiction should learn something new from it. Unfortunately, this richness may have led Anderson to be over-ambitious in his writing. Of the three narrators, the input of Paris Thumboo is completely unnecessary. In the opening chapters his voice is eerily similar to that of the present-day Su-Lin and the writing is laden with exposition. Paris’s voice is lacking in emotion and serves only to introduce the story in a clunky fashion, reminiscent of the Canadian narrator in Life of Pi. It’s easier to sympathise with his mother, yet there are many gaps in her story and her entries often contain a slightly melodramatic sense of foreboding. The eight-year-old Su-Lin is easily the most likeable narrator, although the constant switching between her voice as a child and as an adult can be disorientating. The large number of narrators and secondary characters makes it difficult to identify with many of them. Su-Lin’s character is the most developed; Paris’s story appears only as a twist at the end, and seems hurriedly tacked onto the narrative.
Similarly, many of the relationships are underdeveloped. As the story unfolds, it becomes clear that the lives of Paris and Su-Lin were intertwined as children, yet they lack any connection as adults. There is little need for the inclusions of Su-Lin’s sisters and even her mother in many sections, except to give some idea of her background and their differences. And while it’s welcome that Anderson didn’t add a gratuitous sex scene, some more insight into the romance between Anna and Toh Kei would have been nice.
Despite these qualms, the major strength of The Heart Radical is the story itself. With a narrative filled with multiple layers, characters and events placed together in an easily readable format, fans are likely to be satisfied with this novel.
Boyd Anderson The Heart Radical Bantam Australia 2014 PB 416pp $32.99
Suzanne Rath is a Sydney-based arts reviewer, amateur screenwriter and aspiring novelist. She tweets as @Suzowriting and her page on Facebook is https://www.facebook.com/suzannerathwriting
You can buy this book from Abbey’s here.
To see if it is available from Newtown Library, click here.
