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New literary voice breaks “Out of the Silence”

November 16, 2005

Author Wendy JamesA part-time lecturer in The University of New England's English department has published her first novel to glowing reviews.

Wendy James's Out of the Silence was described by Sydney Morning Herald reviewer Mindy Laube as a “stunning debut” and “that rare novel in which a gripping story is underlaid by a fully realised ethical framework”.

“James has a rich appreciation for the depth and breadth of feminine sensibility, which she conveys in transparent, naturalistic prose,” wrote Ms Laube. The novel “flows ever so gently, its deceptively smooth surface powered by a compelling narrative”.

The Australian Book Review called it “an informative and beautifully written fiction”.

The passion and suffering of Australian women at the turn of the last century provided the inspiration for the novel, which was written as part of the author's PhD thesis. It tells the story of three very different women: Maggie, a servant girl who finds herself unmarried and pregnant; Elizabeth, a middle-class Englishwoman; and Vida Goldstein, a famous real-life suffragette. At the centre of the story is a terrible crime, based on actual events.

Ms James said the story was about “art and motherhood”, and dealt with issues including childcare, domestic service, contraception and infanticide. She said it was also about “the compromises people make in their private lives in order to have a political life, and vice-versa.”

“A lot of stuff people were thinking about in the nineteenth century are still issues today,” she said.

The book took five years to write, and required extensive research, but selling it didn't turn out to be nearly so hard. On the strength of the finished manuscript Ms James secured an agent; the fourth publisher who read the book bought it. Her publisher, Random House, has also contracted her for a second book, already underway.

Before Out of the Silence, Ms James had had about a dozen short stories published in anthologies and journals. She had also had an unpublished manuscript longlisted for the Vogel Award.

Ms James, who has four children, said she wrote “when I can”, and that “with kids it's hard to find time to write”.

“Motherhood is my full-time job.

“I'll procrastinate all the way until the last moment, and then have a burst of inspiration, and then it's time to go and pick up the kids.”

Ms James said she was delighted with the reviews critics had given the book, and that she “couldn't have wished for more for a first novel”. Even more satisfying, she said, were readers' comments.

“I've had really good feedback from people who read it. People say they cry. That's always good.”

Out of the Silence is in bookstores now.

For more information, contact Wendy James on (02) 6772 0771 or Leon Braun (UNE Public Relations) on (02) 6773 3771. A photograph is available to accompany this story.

Posted by Leon Braun at November 16, 2005 10:43 AM