Paula Xiberras
Karly Lane’s latest novel ‘Tallowood Bound’ is the story of three generations of rural women. The pivotal protagonist is Erin Macalister who is ‘Tallowood Bound’, back to her childhood home to look after her frail grandmother after the cessation of her own troubled marriage. Returning also means encountering her former love Jamie Macbride and reviving the attraction between them that never really abated.
Erin discovers another former love, her grandmother’s forbidden love for a soldier. The pattern of discontent in love and relationships was repeated in the life of Erin’s mother, who makes a match that is also disproved of. Erin’s mother rebelled and found herself estranged from the family. In her adult life she reinvented herself with a new name Serenity, ironically the name represents what she yearned for in her own life. Serenity created and continued to maintain a health resort, perhaps symbolically to encourage her own healing as well as that of others.
The strength of the female protagonists in the novel sees them working towards resolutions to present problems, forgiveness of former failings and ultimately overcoming the pain of the past.
Karly believes the increased popularity of rural romance may be due to a hunger for Australian stories, a yearning for connecting with our origins which were on the land even though now most Australians reside in cities.
‘Tallowood Bound’ is out now published by Allen and Unwin.
Look for a new novel from Karly at the end of April.
