Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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40 of 40 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Exquisite, 4 Jul 2008
You have got to read this book. The writing is exquisite and so economical - not a word is wasted.
"The Spare Room" is a short and deceptively simple novel about a woman (Helen) whose friend (Nicola) comes to stay with her for 3 weeks. Nicola is in the final stages of terminal cancer and is pursuing alternative treatments in the hope of finding a cure. Helen welcomes her friend and intends to be supportive and nurturing, but conflict rears as she feels increasingly uncomfortable with the treatments that Nicola is enduring and the toll that they are taking on her. Nicola is clinging to hope and desperate to avoid self pity, so rejects nurturing. While this is fiction, it reads with all the truth and realism of non-fiction - this is increased by the many similarities between the narrator, Helen, and the real life author, Helen Garner.
The synopsis sounds like this will be a depressing book (and it is sad, but in the best way). However, it is beautifully written, simply and precisely. It doesn't talk down to the reader with lengthy explanations or back stories, but instead lets the history between the characters emerge naturally. You are able to feel sympathy and understanding for both of the main characters. It is a fine piece of writing and one of the best books that I have read this year.
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17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Very thoughtful, 26 Jul 2008
It's nice to read a book where each word means something and nothing has been wasted. This is my first novel by Garner and it was a pleasure. I can't compare it to any of her other material as she was an unknown author for me and I was only drawn to this novel by the cover but I'm pleased I opted for it. The quality of the writing is excellent; if this is her usual standard then I need to read more of her work. I wonder if any of it echoes the author's life? I don't know the answer to this but it felt like it was written from personal experience.
I expected it to be full of woe and misery, and whilst it is emotional in places; Helen's character does actually go over all the thoughts you know you shouldn't have if you were in that situation. I can't imagine how I would feel if I was Helen, having my friend Nicola come to stay for three weeks whilst she receives treatment for her progressing cancer. The novel lives up to the quotations and blurb and explores a friendship that is about to be tested to its limits - will it flourish or will it flounder?
I liked Helen's character, it was good to see her arguing with her friend (even though she knew she shouldn't) about the treatment she was going for and whether or not it was worthwhile. It was refreshing to read about the struggles and that she desperately wanted her friend to move out because she couldn't take any more; rather than reading about how wonderful everything was. I found myself laughing at Helen's nature and how (or so it seemed) Nicola was completely oblivious, until you realise she isn't actually like this and some of it is a coping mechanism.
The length was great, had Garner gone for a lengthier novel it would have spoiled the writing and in my opinion made it a dreary read. A great novel and one I'm happy to recommend.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An Extraordinary Book, 24 April 2009
It must be a couple of years ago now that I first learned about this book. The Book Programme had a feature where it asked authors to talk about three books they had read recently. Peter Carey was a passionate advocate for The Spare Room, and expressed the hope that it would reach a wider audience outside Australia.
Now it has and I can understand why he felt so strongly. The subject matter is difficult, and I had to read just one chapter at a time, but I am so glad that I did read The Spare Room - it is quite extraordinary.
The story opens with Helen preparing her spare room for a friend's visit. She is thoughtful, practical and a little anxious - understandably so given that her friend is gravely ill. It felt completely natural to warm to Helen and to be drawn in by her narrative.
Nicola is coming to stay because she isn't fit enough to stay in her own inaccessible house and because she has put her faith in questionable alternative treatments for her cancer that are available at a nearby clinic.
She either cannot or will not acknowledge the seriousness of her illness and she completly fails to recognise the heavy burden that her declining health, the side effects of her treatments and her cavalier attitude are having on her friend.
The author portrays the full range of Helen's emotions - grief, anger, resentment, frustration and, eventually, despair as she begins to feel that she really cannot cope - quite wonderfully. Every emotion and every incident rings true and Helen Garner writes clearly and beautifully.
The Spare Room is a powerful and deeply emotional book. It was difficult and sometimes painful to read, but I am so glad that I did.
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