The Painted Sky

by Alice Campion

  Hilary knew that she should feel happy for her. This girl was part of her, after all. Surely she should feel something? She took a long gulp from her glass. It still puzzled her, this absence of feeling. She closed her eyes. There was something, so long ago. If she could just get her thoughts in order, she could grab hold of that feeling.

  The room had been strangely silent after the birth. In the movies the father usually shouts with joy with the mother; the doctor smacks the baby on the bum and it cries before they all call out ‘it’s a boy’ or ‘it’s a girl’. But there was none of that back then.

  There had been one last, ferocious push that her body had seemed to summon in a final wave of disgust at what it had to do, and then the baby was there. She didn’t look. She hadn’t wanted to. They wrapped it in a towel and removed it.

  She had done well, the nurses told her. She was a good girl. She recalled hearing the matron saying to someone – Kathryn? – how she could tell that Hilary was a natural. There had been no hysterics.

  She remembered how she’d lain in bed afterwards for hour upon hour listening to the waves in the distance. No tears. Until …

  It was the night after the birth. She had just eaten dinner on a tray and had walked out of her room onto the balcony, when there was a tap at the door. It was a nurse holding a baby.

  ‘Er, Miss? I know you don’t want to see baby but Mrs Blackett has asked me to just leave her with you for a minute to say your goodbyes.’

  She had glared at the stupid girl in the too-big uniform but didn’t speak. She had just stood there dully as the baby was handed to her.

  ‘I’ll be back in five minutes, Miss.’

  Hilary remembered the enormous effort it had taken her to look at that face. She’d said ‘her’. A girl.

  Those perfect hands. She remembered how her heart had leapt as she had recognised something in that tiny form. Jim? Love? A chance at happiness? She had hugged the baby tight to her breast for a minute or two and then held her over her shoulder as she rummaged through her suitcase with her other hand till she found it. She held the shining locket in front of the sleeping baby’s face and then concealed it tightly inside the blanket, thinking she’d never see either of them again.

  The door opened. The nurse entered. The baby was taken. And finally, Hilary had cried.

  Even now she couldn’t bear the smell of the ocean. Hilary sighed. Empty again. She poured the remnants from the flask into her glass. There was a shout from below, more laughter, dancing. No doubt someone amongst that lot was making a fool of themselves.

  Oh, Jim, you should have listened to me that day when I picked you up on the road. Things could have been so different. Oh well, she thought, as she stood up unsteadily. At least they never found the nugget.

  Nina noticed Hilary crouched alone on the verandah, like the bad fairy at the feast. And this time, Nina felt real pity.

  ‘Come on, Debs,’ called Sheree. As Moira’s daughter and Matty’s cousin, she was the unofficial MC. ‘Time to throw the bouquet. All you girls get over here!’

  Within moments the dance floor was crowded with women of all ages, shapes and colours letting loose to ‘Single Ladies’. At the end Deborah tossed her bouquet back over her head. Squealing, they all leapt to catch it. Some of the best jumpers were defenders from the Wandalla netball team, but inevitably the lavish posy of native flowers fell into Nina’s hands and all eyes went to Heath.

  Gripping the flowers tightly, Nina turned to Heath and embraced his neck. Jumping up, she wrapped her legs around his waist and kissed him full on the mouth. The crowd shrieked and applauded.

  ‘I love you so much, Nina,’ he whispered.

  ‘I love you too.’

  ‘Reckon it’ll matter if we slip away?’ asked Heath.

  ‘Nah. It’ll all be here tomorrow,’ said Nina.

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  Our heartfelt thanks to the inspiring individuals of outback New South Wales, especially Noeleen Shearer; Maurice Sullivan at the Brewarrina Aboriginal Cultural Museum; Graham and Cathy Finlayson of Bokhara Plains, via Brewarrina; the late Roy Barker and the Keeping Place at Lightning Ridge; Beverley and Richard Meyer of Caloola, via Walgett; The Murray family of Trilby, via Louth, and Lawrence Shearer.

  Thank you, also, to our readers, Jenny Marchionni, Judith Myers, Jabez Allies, Alinta McGinness, Julia Collingwood, Shirley Richards, Kim Burton, Pookie Webb and Jaffa St Vincent Welch.

  To our advisors, Fiona Sonntag, Richard Webb, Sally Snow, Caitlin Davey and Angelo Loukakis.

  For their recipes, Elena Bartolini, Lenore Crocker, Pascal Downie Dear, Molly Greaves, Terri McGinness and Emilie Owens.

  For their beautiful homes to work in, the Green Family – Kurrabar, Blackheath, NSW; the Wilcken Family – Coasters Retreat, Pitt water, NSW.

  Special thanks to Penny Mulligan, Anna Mellar, Daphne Sider – and all the Booksluts.

  Finally to Random House Australia, for their wise and gentle guidance, particularly Beverley Cousins, Elena Gomez, Chris Kunz and Fiona Henderson.

  And, of course, our patient families.

  Q&A

  WITH ALICE CAMPION

  Warning: These answers contain spoilers, so we recommend reading them after you have finished the book.

  Who is Alice Campion?

  Alice was born when five women – Jenny Crocker, Madeline Oliver, Jane Richards, Jane St Vincent Welch and Denise Tart – had a great idea. We were all from Sydney’s inner-west and members of the same book club, known affectionately as The Booksluts (motto: we’ll read anything). We had just finished Dostoyevsky’s Crime and Punishment and we were discussing how much we’d love to travel to Russia and go on the Trans-Siberian express. Jane R joked that we should write a novel to raise money and the idea took off from there.

  The Alice Campion name came quite a bit later. We went through many variations, including Beth Kloostus (an anagram of the Booksluts) and Khira Hussey (Khira is Belorussian for ‘book’ and we all know what a hussy is). Thankfully, cooler heads prevailed and we were guided by our publishers. Alice Campion will continue her writing career as any combination of these five writers.

  What is your writing process?

  It took us a good three and a half years to get The Painted Sky ready to send to a publisher, but we took it at a fairly easy pace. We looked forward to our meetings, and especially our weekends away, where we’d spend hours workshopping the manuscript. It was exciting to see what people came up with by way of new characters or plot twists.

  The process we finally adopted really worked. We started by roughing out what each ‘scene’ in a section would contain – the action, the development of relationships between the characters, the revelations and so forth. Then we divided the scenes between us. When we’d finished our scene (they were usually one to three pages), we would share our work with the others by email so they’d have a chance to reflect and come up with suggestions. Then at the next meeting, each writer would read their copy aloud and the others offered improvements. Then, we’d delegate a different person to re-work the scene, according to the group’s agreed vision. That way, we worked it over and over, until every chapter had been re-written by every writer, and hopefully that’s resulted in a seamless text, where one voice has emerged.

  Writing the sex scenes was interesting. Reading out the scenarios to the group ranged from challenging to hilarious, but by the end we were pretty blasé about it.

  Keeping track of the latest version of each scene was tricky with updates flying back and forth between us, so eventually, Denise became ‘keeper of the words’ and we dared not disobey her method!

  Did you ever have any disagreements?

  For each of us there have been times when we’ve had to sacrifice something we regarded as a particular gem. You have to put up a fight for the bits you love, after all. Sometimes one person would come up with a major plot point only to see everyone else reel back in horror. I think at one stage it was suggested that Hilary was actually Be
n’s biological mother! At such times there would be lively arguments but often they led to other alternatives that made the story much better. We argued about ‘anatomically correct’ words in the sex scenes, about Heath and his sculptures, about heaps of things. Because the characters we had created were so real to us, it often felt like we were fighting for the integrity of people we loved: ‘Nina would never do that!’ ‘Yes she would, it’s totally her!’

  But we would talk it through, with everyone having a chance to contribute, until we reached agreement. Otherwise, we would vote and, on the whole, those who lost the vote took it with good cheer. Differences in approach came up as we were finalising the manuscript, but we’ve worked through those by using the same method, keeping the channels of communication open until everyone’s been heard. It’s been difficult at times, but it’s been worth it.

  How much did you know about outback life when you started the book?

  Jane S grew up on a cattle property, so she was our ‘go to’ person for rural matters. Jenny and Denise came from regional NSW, Maddy grew up in Tasmania and Jane R is originally from Sydney’s northern beaches but has many relatives living in western NSW, near where the book is set.

  We did undertake a fact-finding expedition in 2011 to really get the feel, the smell and the taste of far western NSW. We learned a lot about things we knew nothing about – sustainable grazing, bore water, flooding and sand storms in that area. Also we got a feeling for the people and their history. It was amazing how elements of the book we ‘found’ out there mirrored what we’d already written. For example, we met a farming couple just like Heath and Nina (as imagined in the not too distant future), and it turns out they met when she stitched up his torn hand! We also stumbled across an abandoned house near Bourke that fitted the layout of The Springs perfectly.

  We met people from the Indigenous community in Brewarrina, Lightning Ridge and Bourke, including elders. They inspired our Koori characters.

  Our visit to the outback also prompted us to update some of our notions of the bush; it’s not necessarily the backwater you might think and not everyone is conservative. And Nina is, at first, a very urban girl, so we could relate to her fish-out-of-water experience.

  One of the themes in the book is about being gay in the outback. Why did you decide to tackle that?

  This theme was not in the original outline for the book. It emerged from Jim’s character as we were writing, as though he’d tapped us on the shoulder and said, ‘There’s something you’re missing here, girls!’. It is interesting to look at how attitudes toward gay people in rural Australia have changed between Jim’s youth in the 1970s and 1980s and the period when Nina comes to Wandalla. Even though the 1980s is not so very long ago, we forget how much disapproval and even violence people faced when they chose to be out. Today, rural people are much more relaxed and accepting of different sexualities. In the end the same proportion of gay men and women are born in places like Wandalla as are born in Woolloomooloo and it’s good to acknowledge that.

  You have many Aboriginal characters. How did you find an authentic voice for them?

  Many of the characters were inspired by people we met during our trip, who were generous in sharing their time and stories. Other guidance came from Aboriginal friends and relatives of Denise’s. Jenny and Jane S had also been working with Indigenous communities. So it was something we thought about a lot.

  There’s a big Aboriginal population in outback New South Wales, so it seemed unnatural to leave them out of the story. On the other hand, we realised there were sensitivities about cultural appropriation and the portrayal of Aboriginal people by non-Aboriginal people in art and literature. But in the end it all comes down to people. Once Moira, for example, had emerged as a character, we all wanted more of her. She just wrote herself. Everyone needs a Moira in their life.

  The township of Wandalla is a potent presence in the book.

  Is it based on a real town?

  It’s loosely based on Bourke, New South Wales, one of those towns that was a cornerstone of rural commerce. Historically, Bourke on the mighty Darling River served as a paddlesteamer transport hub. Drought and the passing of time have affected such towns, but at the same time, they are full of interesting people doing surprising things.

  Why is art important in the book?

  Art is one of the driving forces of the story and it links the elusive Jim to many of the other characters. There’s the artistic gift he shares with Nina and the way she uses his painting of a mysterious man to make sense of her own search. But it also links him to Possum Brody and Shona, and in a different way to Hilary and Harrison, both of whom are overwhelmingly attracted by his extraordinary talent.

  Heath’s sculptures signal that there is more to him than just the laconic ‘man on the land’ surface. Art is a creative outlet he and Nina will share in their future life.

  Through their artworks, we explore the emotional state of our characters. Art also enabled us to dwell on the beauty of the place as well as the spiritual landscape.

  What happened to the nugget?

  What do YOU think happened to the nugget?

  READING GROUP QUESTIONS

  Nina uncovers a web of secrets. Which secret had the greatest impact on her?

  Nina’s goals and values change throughout. In what ways is she different at journey’s end?

  How did your feelings about Jim change as you learned more about him?

  Despite Hilary’s bad behaviour, did you have sympathy for her?

  How do you think Nina and Hilary’s relationship will develop from here?

  Which of the minor characters did you find the most vivid and why?

  Moira and Roy are the heart of their community. Why are people like them important?

  Were Kathryn and Mac Blackett right to do what they did?

  Some of the action is played out in flashback. Which one did you like best?

  How do you think attitudes changed between the two periods in the book?

  A TASTE OF WANDALLA

  From Moira’s healing spice cake to the sweet and savoury bounty presented to Nina at her father’s wake, food is one of the things we enjoyed writing about most.

  To give a taste of outback New South Wales, Alice shares the following favourite country-style recipes which have been sourced from our families and friends. Enjoy.

  MOIRA’S SPICE CAKE

  2 large Granny Smith apples

  4 large eggs, separated

  ⅔ cup caster sugar

  1 tsp vanilla essence

  ½ tsp almond essence

  2 cups almond meal

  1 tsp ground cinnamon

  ¼ tsp ground nutmeg

  1 tsp baking powder

  Peel, core and chop the apples. Place into a saucepan with a couple of tablespoons of water and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until soft and pulpy. Drain, mash and cool.

  Preheat the oven to 170°C (150°C fan-forced). Grease a 20cm springform cake tin and line with baking paper. Use an electric mixer to beat the egg yolks, sugar, vanilla essence and almond essence until pale and creamy. Beat in the apple pulp.

  Sift the almonds, spices and baking powder together and beat into the egg mixture. In a separate bowl, beat the whites until stiff peaks form then fold gently into the almond mixture.

  Pour into the tin and bake for 50 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 150°C and cook for another 20 minutes or until firm to a gentle touch in the centre. Turn the oven off and leave the cake in the oven for an hour with door ajar, to cool slowly. Remove from the cake tin and peel off the paper. Serve as is, or cover with your favourite icing.

  Variation 1

  Sprinkle the base of the greased pan with 1 tsp brown sugar and 1 tsp mixed spices, before pouring in the cake mix. Serve as an upside down cake, with the sugar and spices as a topping.

  Variation 2

  Slice an extra Granny Smith apple thinly and arrange on the brown sugar and spice before pouring in
the cake mix. Serve upside down as in variation 1.

  BETH’S PAVLOVA

  6 egg whites

  1½ cups caster sugar

  3 tsp cornflour

  1 tsp vinegar

  ½ tsp vanilla essence

  whipped cream and fresh fruit (such as passionfruit or banana), to decorate

  Preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan-forced). Line a baking tray with baking paper, or you can use wet brown paper.

  Put the egg whites into the large bowl of an electric mixer. Add half the sugar and beat on high until the mixture forms soft peaks.

  Slowly add the remainder of the sugar along with the cornflour, while still beating on high, until it is completely dissolved and stiff peaks form. Reduce the speed to slow and add the vinegar and vanilla. Beat for 1 minute to combine.

  Spoon meringue onto the lined tray, and spread out to a round. Place into the oven and reduce the temperature to 120°C (100°C fan-forced). Bake for 1½ hours, until set but still pale – it shouldn’t be brown. Turn the oven off, prop the door open and leave the pavlova in the oven until cool.

  Decorate with the whipped cream and fresh fruit (if using banana, slice close to serving time, otherwise it goes brown).

  Note: When you separate the eggs to get the egg whites, make sure there is no yolk in the whites or the meringue won’t beat up properly.

  VERA’S NEVER-FAIL SPONGE

  180g self-raising flour

  180g caster sugar

  180g margarine (do not use butter)

  ½ tsp vanilla essence

  3 eggs (see note)

  Filling

  100g icing sugar, plus extra for top

  50g butter

  ½ tsp vanilla essence

  ½ cup jam