Have you ever dreamt you find a ‘new’ room in your house? Or perhaps you are in a new house discovering new rooms. I have this dream all the time. Well, at least a couple of times a year. If Kirsten Tranter hasn’t had a similar dream I will eat my hat.
Early on in Tranter’s book Hold, her protagonist Shelley finds a door at the back of her wardrobe. Behind the door is room. A room they did not find when they were renovating. It is not on the plan.
Hold is described as a waking dream of a novel and was long listed for the Miles Franklin Award in 2017.
Pocket Bookclub were intrigued by Hold, was the room real? Was the lover real? Was the antique shop real? It seems like Shelley has been in a trance since her lover died three years ago. She had given control over to her new man. She let him decide how to renovate the new house. It’s modern and clean. The found room, by contrast, is somehow potentially sumptuous. It offers entrapment and sanctuary.
Ann made us a lasagne – her speciality – which was perfect for the cold night. We were unsure about the names of the characters in the books and spent some time talking about our own names – what they are and what they should be. Naturally enough we also talked about our dreams and whether or not they featured missing and found rooms.
Hold is a quick read. Partly because it will compel you back to read it.
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