Five Bells by Gail Jones

7th Mar

Five Bells is the latest novel by Australian literary professor Gail Jones. Jones is a previous winner of a number of Australian literacy prizes and has been longlisted for both the Man Booker and Orange Prizes for her novels Sixty Lights, Dreams of Speaking and Sorry.

The story follows four adults in and around Sydney’s landmark Circular Quay, touching on one another’s lives like ringing bells. Jones does well to get into the mindset of the four rather disparate characters and keep them distinct.

There’s Ellie, a young Australian reminiscing ahead of her reunion with her first lover; Pei Xing, an elderly Chinese Cultural Revolution survivor; Catherine, an Irishwoman recently moved to Sydney and James, a talented but troubled teacher.

Taking place over the course of one Saturday, Jones spends a large part of the book exploring each character’s motivation and preoccupations. As the day progresses, the four interact, each having an impact on the others’ lives.

The book isn’t quite long enough for you to become particularly attached to any one of the characters in particular but you do come away feeling like you have been given access to the pages of each character’s private diary. The female characters undoubtedly come across strongest, while James, the only prominent male character, could probably use a therapist.

Jones notes in her acknowledgements that the story was inspired by the elegiac poem Five Bells by Kenneth Slessor and it shows in her writing style – poetic and superlatively descriptive.

Jones is known for her lyrical imagery and Five Bells (the novel, not the poem) is no different. When you’re not reading about a character’s past experiences, you’re being educated in the stunning imagery of a Sydney summer’s day.

Overall, Five Bells is a good read and Jones does well to keep the story within the limiting parameters of one day. In fact, the limited time frame actually helps Jones tackle some heavy issues without making the book depressing.

The pace is great, slow enough for you to keep up but fast enough to make sure you don’t get bored. A word of warning though…if you’re taking it on holiday, make sure you take a back up. Five Bells is a mere 216 pages long.

Published by Harvill Secker, Five Bells is out in hardback this Thursday 10th March. Buy it from Amazon for £9.99.

Rating: 3/5

Recommended for: Anyone with a penchant for poetry/short story/novel hybrids.

Other recommended reading: For more poetic, lyrical prose, investigate The Dissemblers by Liza Campbell or Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson.

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