The July Nutshell

Francine Pascal, the Davitts shortlist, and my final stretch

Jul 31, 2024

Dear Reader,

Vale Francine Pascal

The author best known for Sweet Valley High, Francine Pascal, died a few days ago at the age of 92. I couldn’t say exactly how many SVH books I tore through in the late 80s — I used to grab handfuls of them from the local library — but I know this series, consisting of 181 stories, and with sales of over 200 million, unites so many readers in joyful nostalgia.

Last year I took a trip down memory lane by writing about Sweet Valley High for Voracious, with a re-read of All Night Long (“When Jessica sneaks off to a college beach party with Scott, Elizabeth’s afraid of what could happen. And when her twin sister isn’t back by morning, Elizabeth’s fear turns to alarm. Where’s Jessica? Why has she stayed out all night long?”). I’ve unlocked this piece in memory of Francine Pascal, and all Voracious readers can access it here:

Francine Pascal’s Sweet Valley High: Trip Down Memory Lane #3
And here is the New York Times obituary.

Books I loved

My reading in July was stacked again with the Davitt Awards (shortlist below) as well as the books I’d chosen for the Chapters For Change readathon (I’d love you to make a donation here).

One of these was Restless Dolly Maunder by Kate Grenville, a novel based on the life of the author’s grandmother. I won’t forget this book. In the early chapters, the tough existence and limited options for a girl in the late 1800s, raised on a farm, took me back to the research about Kate Kelly for Outlaw Girls. The scars of resentment run deep for Dolly; her restlessness is both trial and triumph for her and those who love her. There were moments when the telling of a linear life story made me feel there was some structural tension missing, but at the end I felt the full impact of having read the story of a whole life, and that felt miraculous and emotional.

I am delighted to find Stone Yard Devotional by Charlotte Wood on today’s Booker Prize longlist, another novel that filled my cup this year (I mentioned it in the May Nutshell). You may like to read more about it on the Booker Prize website. Restless Dolly Maunder was shortlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction, which is always worth a look. I’ve found many wonderful novels through that prize.

Heartening to see Australian fiction travelling so well.

The Davitts Shortlist

I’m nearing the end of my Davitts commitment, as one of six judges who read across all categories, eventually narrowing 153 books to a shortlist of 17: 7 Fiction, 4 Non-Fiction, 4 Children’s, and 2 YA. Here’s the full stack (the winners will be announced on 31st August):

Speaking of Stone Yard Devotional, I’ve been in a state of devotion myself these past weeks trying to meet a deadline — it’s a deadline imposed by my writing group, rather than a publisher, but that hasn’t decreased its power whatsoever. They know what’s best for me, often before I know it myself. They’re a wonderful influence, especially when I’m spiralling (which happens).

Take last Friday, for instance. I was on a morning dog walk, engrossed in an epic podcast (more about that in a moment), when a distinctive call made me pluck out my earbuds: the call of Zanda funerea, the yellow-tailed black cockatoo.

It is not unusual for me to spy a small flock of these at this time of year in my inner city, riverside patch, but they were in greater numbers than I’d ever seen them — I hurried up the hill, with my confused labradoodle, as they soared and called overhead, to see if they’d land. Which they did! I then sent a panicked message to my writing group: have seen exciting birds and cannot let these distract me from finishing my book! help me! tell me to go home and stay home and write! tell me that under no circumstances should I run back, dump the dog, grab my camera and run back out to the spot that said birds may in all likelihood have abandoned by then!

No, they replied, to my bewilderment. You’ve been working hard and deserve this! Run, Emily!

Reader, I ran. And the birds waited. And I was rewarded with an amazing display.

It is hard to get the balance right in the devotion that is necessary, in my experience, to finish a book. In this case, an hour of space for another passion was exhilarating and when I returned to my desk I had new energy. The birds felt like a sign, and signs are everything when you’re waiting to witness yourself bring a story home.

Apart from this brief spot of birding, the other way I’ve cleared my head between long bouts of writing is by listening to podcasts while walking the dog.

So, podcast recommendations to finish:

Trigger warning (abuse) for this one. Master: the allegations against Neil Gaiman. I know what I think; I think he’s not a good guy. Even if he is telling the truth, he’s far from my version of a decent human.
I’ve mentioned this one before but I’ve finished it now: Death of An Artist, about the artist who made Jackson Pollock’s success possible, essentially — Lee Krasner, Pollock’s partner. 6 episodes, beautifully narrated, well worth a listen. I spent a wonderful hour looking at Lee Krasner’s work afterwards.
Beejay Silcox on Secrets from the Green Room — on the role of the critic, the state of criticism in Australia, the distinction between critique and criticism, Beejay’s opinion on Bookstagram/Tiktok/Goodreads, especially star ratings, and on judging. Excellent, articulate, agree agree agree. And I’ll add that I wish so much that we had a strong voice like this to talk all things Australian children’s literature.
In the Dark, Season 2 — I listened to 20 episodes of the New Yorker team’s investigation of a death row case that had been tried and re-tried in Mississippi six times since 1997. I knew nothing about the case when I began to listen, and I think that’s the best way so I’ll say no more. This was utterly gripping and reminded me of the podcast series that got me hooked on podcasts back in 2014 (Serial, season 1).

And with that, I sense my writing group tapping their fingers on their watches, telling me to get back to it. I hope there’s something in this nutshell for you. Thank you for reading Voracious.

So long July, here’s to August. X