Diamond Star Halo by Tiffany Murray

review by Maryom


1977 was a big year for Halo Llewelyn of Rockfarm recording studios hidden in the Welsh countryside - a year in which the world changed; the Queen celebrated her Jubilee, Elvis died, Halo's brother Vincent discovered punk, but most importantly, it was the year Fred Connor entered her life. Even in Halo's world of visiting rock stars, Fred is special; the son of two members of American group Tequila, left behind as a new born baby when the band move on, he grows up alongside the Llewelyn children but is always more than a brother to Halo. Like a modern day Cathy and Heathcliff, Halo and Fred are entwined from childhood, irresistibly drawn together yet pulled apart by circumstances.



 For me this book is one of those wonderful serendipitous finds that come through book blogging. Late last year I read Tiffany Murray's Sugar Hall and loved its sheer creepiness - it's one of the few ghost stories that has truly sent shivers down my spine, and I wanted to read more by the author so when a copy of Diamond Star halo came my way I was delighted.
 At the novel's heart is the flawed love of Halo and Fred. Fred is a typical charismatic bad boy flawed hero; no one can resist his charms - and he knows it, and plays it for all he's worth. Halo meanwhile is hopelessly in love with him; although not related, they've been brought up so closely as brother and sister, that any other relationship seems wrong.
 But Diamond Star Halo is more than just their story; it belongs to all the Llewelyns of Rockfarm. Told in the first person, Halo's narrative roams backwards and forwards, through her life, her parents', and back to her Nana's brothers and the despised ancestral "English Bastards". It isn't a ghost story by any stretch of the imagination but it does still have that feeling of the layers of the past building up around a particular place; of a house which still holds echoes of those who lived there in previous generations; of past tragedies which still cast a shadow.
 Halo's whole world captivated me - a mix of rock star glamour and playing half-wild in the fields and woods around the farm - filled with characters like her slightly witchy-Nana with her 'capel' of bones and healing herbs and brews, or Halo's parents consumed by a passion which they thought could conquer everything.

A story of 'crazy love' that breaks the rules, an exploration of the ties of family and home, a coming of age novel, a family epic ranging over three generations; there's a bit of all these in Diamond Star Halo, and I loved each of them. 

 Maryom's review -  5 stars
Publisher - Portobello Books
Genre - adult,

Shortlisted for the Bollinger/Wodehouse Prize

The Tea Lords by Hella S Haasse

 review by Maryom

'A novel of Java' says the sub-title of the edition I read, but it isn't a tale of native culture or ancient Indonesian traditions rather one of late 19th century colonial expansion by the Dutch.

Rudolf  Kerkhoven is part of an extended Dutch family with interests in Java. His parents have already left Holland and leased land on which to establish a tea plantation. Having finished his studies, Rudolf goes out to join them. His life appears to be totally mapped out for him; - his parents decided which technical courses he should follow as being of most use to the family business and they have positions within the family enterprises lined up for him. Rudolf has other plans though - he doesn't want to stay as a subordinate but to strike out on his own - rather literally - to clear back the jungle and establish his own plantation, run his way.

As I read I felt rather removed from the emotion of the story - too often told what Rudolf says or thinks rather than hearing it in his own words or seeing things through his eyes. In part possibly due to this, I didn't find him particularly sympathetic character - he always seemed to be arguing with his family, convinced that his way was always right and that the family were in some way favouring his brothers. His only redeeming feature was his love of the country with steep mountain sides covered in impenetrable vegetation - so very different from his native Holland.

 The Tea Lords is, without doubt, a fascinating account of Dutch colonialism in Java - a phase of history of which I knew absolutely nothing. Unfortunately the writing style totally failed to grab me.

This book was drawn to my attention by  Iris On Books and the Dutch Lit Month 2012 running on her blog where an ongoing discussion of The Tea Lords is currently (June 2012) taking place. Other readers seem to have enjoyed this book more than I did, so it's worth checking out their thoughts.

Maryom's review -  3.5 stars
Publisher - Portobello Books
Genre - historical, translated fiction

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