Voss

 

Image credit: Goodreads

Have you ever closed the cover on a book and just been so thrown by it that you’ve no idea what to say about it? I have read a few books in my time where I have finished them and been left feeling very confused as to what I just read: Heart of Darkness, We have Always Lived in the Castle, Slaughterhouse 5, to name a few. And now, a celebrated classic of Australian literature joins that pool of strange reading experiences: Patrick White’s Voss.

In 1845, German colonist Johann Ulrich Voss sets out with a small band of selected men on an expedition to cross the desert continent of Australia. Along the way many hardships will be suffered including sickness, scorching heat, constant rain, lost supplies, violent indigenous tribes, and the promise of death. 

Voss has probably best been described by Dr. Peter Boxall as, “both a love story and an adventure story, and yet it is neither.” The central drama of the expedition is very reminiscent of the adventure novel, however where other authors have depicted the great journeys of their protagonists through scenes of exciting action and environmental descriptions, White chooses to focus on the mental journeys of his characters, the most engaging being the man-God-Devil conflict within Voss. Twisting between his desire to become a King of this country, which is now his home, and his fluctuating love and hate for his fellow men and travelling companions, the character of Voss becomes superhuman in his mental and spiritual trials, finally appearing to his expedition party as both deliverer and destroyer. 

Coinciding with this cross-country adventure is a strange, telepathic love story between Voss and Laura Trevelyan, the wealthy niece of one of Voss’ sponsors. Although no scenes of passion or love take place featuring the two characters physically, their relationship develops through their absence of one another: Laura spiritually accompanying Voss on his journey, and Voss always hanging out on the fringes of Laura’s mind. In contrast to the harsh desert dramas, the scenes with Laura and colonial society are reminiscent of Jane Austen, complete with heroines and social commentary from the author. 

Image credit: Australian Book Review

While it’s difficult to identify, let alone explain the power of Voss, there is definitely some sort of otherworldly magic that forces you to keep turning pages even though you decide, early on, that everything will end in tragedy. As they say, it’s not the destination, but the journey. Voss is a unique and compelling book that I would recommend to those looking for something different, dramatic, and not of the mainstream. 

Author: Patrick White, 1957

Published: Eyre & Spottiswoode (London), 1957

Achievements: Nobel Prize for Literature, 1973