The Natural Way of Things

Image credit: Dymocks

 Every once in a while you’ll come across a book that you find hard to define. Someone will ask ‘what are you reading?’ and you’ll draw a blank as you try to find the right words to summarise the adventure that you’re partway through. This was absolutely the case with my chosen book this week, continuing on with my list of Australian literature; Charlotte Wood’s The Natural Way of Things.

The book tells the story of a group of girls, who we later discover have all been publicly disgraced, who find themselves imprisoned in an abandoned sheep station in the outback. Drugged, degraded, and at the mercy of two heartless men, their spirits and opinions of themselves are broken as they are forced to build a road for the coming of the enigmatic Hardings. But as the seasons change and the food begins to run out, it becomes clear Hardings is not coming and they have all been left behind. Animal instincts begin to take over and while some strive in the ways of survival, others degrade themselves further, until the severity of their environment and circumstances completely eradicate their former selves. 

One front-cover bit of praise on this book from The Guardian describes this it as “Margaret Atwood meets Wake in Fright” and that's absolutely spot on. Compared a lot to The Handmaid’s Tale, The Natural Way of Things is a confronting and compelling read that explores the very severe threat of contemporary misogyny as well as the harsh influences of society, environment, and circumstance. 2 heroines are separated from the pack as the central character focuses, Verla and Yolanda, and their independent journeys are what make the book so compelling. 

Like Stephen King’s Misery, Wood drops her reader right into the horrific action with the promise of the remaining 200+ pages being devoted to explaining who these women are and why they are here suffering. Although, what’s fascinating is that she does not delve into a lot of detail regarding the individual characters of the girls. Each gets a small blurb explaining the scandal and the social betrayal they were at the centre of, but Wood writes about in them in the voice of society, taking away any leading queues as to what sort of emotional attachments (if any) you’re meant to feel for these girls. The hopeful messages of sisterhoods and feminist strength are worn down and blown away by the harsh and arid outback setting and what we are left with is a horrific, but provocative exploration into the gender-free animal instincts that make up the human. 

Image credit: Charlotte Wood

On the surface, it seems like not a lot is happening. But the power of Wood's words and the harsh world that she writes about compels you to keep reading and before you know it, you’ve come across layers upon layers of chewy brilliance that you must work through to get to the end. For a small book, there’s actually a lot in it, it really packs a punch, and for anyone interested in Australia literature, feminist literature, or the modern woman’s contributions to the wonderful world of writing, I would absolutely recommend The Natural Way of Things.

Author: Charlotte Wood, 2015

Published: Allen & Unwin, Sydney Australia, 2015.

Achievements: Winner of the Stella Prize, 2016. Co-winner of the Prime Minister’s Award, 2016. Winner, Fiction Book of the Year, 2016 Indie Awards. Winner of the Indie Book of the Year Award, 2016. Shortlisted in 2016 for the Miles Franklin Literary Award, Victorian Premier’s Literary Award, Barbara Jefferis Award, Queensland Literary Award for Fiction, and the Voss Literary Award.