The legacy of Australian writer Miles Franklin lives on in the two literary prizes named for her. But, how much do we really know about the woman herself?
For instance, many readers would not have been aware that Stella (Miles) Franklin had a sister named Linda; a sister who took the expected path for women – married and had a child, only to die young. The debut novel, My Brilliant Sister by Amy Brown explores the idea of what it is like to be a woman, and to be creative, through the motif of these two women.
The novel is told in three parts, almost like three novelettes stacked one on top of the other. In the first section, arguably the most compelling of the three, a young woman named Ida struggles to balance creativity, motherhood and the need to work as her world becomes smaller due to the Covid-19 lockdowns.
Originally from New Zealand, Ida has moved to Melbourne because of a work opportunity offered to her partner, who is also creative, and through her perspective, the idea of who gets the time and space to be ‘an artist’ when both people in a couple have artistic aspirations is gently prodded. The pressures of having to be so many things to so many people at once eventually causes Ida to become physically unwell, and it is only after this collapse that she is able to communicate to her partner what she needs – a more equal division of labour in their home, and the time and space to write.
The second section, presumably part of Ida’s writing now that she is free to do some, is a series of letters from Linda Franklin to her older sister, Stella, outlining their adolescent years. As the family’s fortunes fall, Linda watches as her older sister flouts convention and is judged by the adults around her. Rather than similarly condemning her sister, Linda seems to feel a kind of envy and awe towards Stella, always comparing the two of them and coming up short.
In this fictional imagining of Linda Franklin’s life, Linda too might have been a writer had there been oxygen enough for a second Franklin sister to be exceptional. But, instead she makes herself small as Stella’s behaviour shapes the expectations of her family. Regarded as sickly, no one ever seems to believe that Linda could be badly-behaved or remarkable in any way. Yet it is Linda, and not Stella, who eventually marries the handsome neighbour, Charles.
The final section of the book is from the point of view of another Stella, who the reader gradually comes to understand as an imaginary sister to Ida, in a universe where Ida does not exist (it makes sense if you read the book!) Stella is the bright spark, creative genius sister where Ida is the writer straining to be free from the yoke of domesticity, much like the two Franklin sisters Ida has been researching. Of the three sections, it is the least interesting, and I would have liked to have seen a return to the setting of the Melbourne lockdown and check in with our original narrator rather than delving into the head of this third character.
For a short book, My Brilliant Sister packs a lot in, and it does it in gorgeous, polished prose. (I wrote out a few quotes about the joys of reading to save for later.) It is a story driven by ideas rather than by a strong plot, and one that I think a lot of people with an interest in the history of women’s creativity will enjoy.
I particularly enjoyed the way that Melbourne lockdown was portrayed– perhaps finally enough time has passed for us to have books about this particular facet of recent history? Likewise, I think that the domestic struggle between Ida and her partner was handled well, and does not demonise the man entirely, allowing Ida to take some responsibility for not speaking up about what she needs and instead allowing the status quo to continue.
There’s nothing quite like this book out there. But, reading it will definitely make you want to reread My Brilliant Career so make sure you have a copy on hand!
FOUR STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
My Brilliant Sister by Amy Brown is available now from Simon and Schuster. Grab your copy from Booktopia HERE.
