I bought this book way back in 2016 and it has been languishing in my digital pile – I feel slightly ill when I think about that digital pile.
Here’s the blurb …
Black Rock White City is a novel about the damages of war, the limits of choice, and the hope of love.
During a hot Melbourne summer Jovan’s cleaning work at a bayside hospital is disrupted by acts of graffiti and violence becoming increasingly malevolent. For Jovan the mysterious words that must be cleaned away dislodge the poetry of the past. He and his wife Suzana were forced to flee Sarajevo and the death of their children.
Intensely human, yet majestic in its moral vision, Black Rock White City is an essential story of Australia’s suburbs now, of displacement and immediate threat, and the unexpected responses of two refugees as they try to reclaim their dreams. It is a breathtaking roar of energy that explores the immigrant experience with ferocity, beauty and humour
I am not sure why this one languished so long I think I thought it was going to be political. It is about the immigrant experience in Australia – no one can say your name, no one is particularly interested in your past, your qualifications aren’t recognized, etc.
I thought this was beautifully written. It has two points of view – Jovan and Suzana. Jovan works in a hospital as a cleaner (his hospital has a series of malicious graffiti/damage) and seems content with his new (simpler) Australian life. Suzana (also a cleaner but domestically) is angrier. She is writing a novel and is fascinated by the English language (why does knife and knickers have a k, but not nine?)
The story unfolds gently as we follow their ordinary days – more graffiti, an affair, friends, an escape to an hotel. It’s about starting in a new place after terrible things have happened – finding peace and possibly happiness.