Dirt Music - Tim Winton

“She lay back in the water, wishing some portal would open, that she might click on some dopey icon and proceed safely, painlessly, without regret or memory”.

Georgie Jutland has lost her way in life, if indeed she had ever found it. Before though, at least, she hadn’t become stuck in one of life’s backwaters, a small fictional fishing community called White Point, on the Western Australian Coast.

Jim Buckbridge was ...
...up to with respect, and more than a little fear. That reputation was first acquired by his father, “not merely a man’s man, but a bastard’s bastard”. Jim hadn’t been averse to making the most of it. Georgie was from a privileged if rather dysfunctional background, privately educated, the daughter of a QC and one of fours sisters. She was always the odd one out, the girl that hated shopping.

They had met in Lombok, Jim was getting over ... more

“She lay back in the water, wishing some portal would open, that she might click on some dopey icon and proceed safely, painlessly, without regret or memory”.

Georgie Jutland has lost her way in life, if indeed she had ever found it. Before though, at least, she hadn’t become stuck in one of life’s backwaters, a small fictional fishing community called White Point, on the Western Australian Coast.

Jim Buckbridge was the “uncrowned Prince” of White Point. He was looked up to with respect, and more than a little fear. That reputation was first acquired by his father, “not merely a man’s man, but a bastard’s bastard”. Jim hadn’t been averse to making the most of it. Georgie was from a privileged if rather dysfunctional background, privately educated, the daughter of a QC and one of fours sisters. She was always the odd one out, the girl that hated shopping.

They had met in Lombok, Jim was getting over the death of his wife and Georgie was on her endless quest to escape from her past, and get over another failed relationship. There was attraction, mutual sorrow, enough of something for her to move to White Point and for them to marry, but never love.

Georgie, perhaps understandably has become somewhat disillusioned of life in White Point and with Jim, and is all too aware of his unpredictability. She is also struggling to feel much more than pity for him.

Disillusionment led her to waste hours trawling cyberspace. Unable able to sleep early one morning, she catches sight of a poacher, and her curiosity leads her, not to inform on him as fishing etiquette demanded but to feed the dog left behind on the beach. This act of White Point treachery leads her to Luther Fox and a passionate love affair.

Luther Fox, is from a different side of the White Point tracks occupied by the likes of Jim Buckbridge, his musical family looked down upon for the different ways and considered lazy and good for nothing. Luther is wracked by guilt from an episode that led to their deaths. He was the only survivor and copes by living on the edge of society keeping himself to himself, and rejecting the music that the family lived on.

In a small community like White Point, Georgie’s and Luther’s affair is not something that remains secret for long, but the knowledge is unspoken. This knife-edge existence is bought down when Luther’s poaching is punished. While out at sea, his dog is killed and his truck wrecked. He is lucky to get home alive. Fearing that Jim is behind this action that the house will be burned down next, he flees.

Georgie, convinced that Jim was responsible but unable to take any action, turned to alcohol. However, her mother dies and this prompts her to stop drinking, and to some air being cleared with Jim – in a fashion, when an argument leads to him denying any responsibility for the attack on Luther’s dog and truck.

Luther fled to Broome and beyond, and his fortunes fishing, hitching, and plain surviving are described in wonderful detail.

Meanwhile, an uneasy peace follows as lethargy has kept Georgie with Jim, until Georgie discovers a letter in Jim’s desk with a Broome postmark. Forced to make decisions she started moving her things out of Jims house to Luther’s, still returning each night. Before she is out, over dinner one night, Jim tells Georgie he is going to Broome, and that he’d like her to go with her.

For Jim it is, he says, “to prove to myself that I’m different – and get free. At least in my head”. To do something for others – uniting Georgie and Luther - will enable him to achieve this freedom, but does he have the strength of character to make this change, and reject the desire for revenge?

Most of the characters in this book are deeply flawed. All seem to be in White Point escaping from something in their lives, including the handful of other characters we are introduced to in any depth. They have been knocked about by life to such an extent that they have an inability to act for themselves and are unable to improve their lot. Although love is the desire, luck is the driving force.

I managed to read the book without being aware that conversation was unpunctuated, but was never under any confusion as to what was or wasn’t dialogue. The story flowed and spurred me to read on, as I cared about the outcome and felt as though I was witness to the characters lives.

It isn’t in my opinion as good a book as some of the other books Winton has written, notably Cloudstreet. The description of Luther’s battle for survival and sanity, which took up a significant part of the book was, I felt, not totally in tune to the rest of the book. Wonderfully descriptive and prosaic writing but perhaps done for the purpose of wonderful writing rather than purely for the story.

Despite that criticism it is well written and an entertaining read. I highly recommend this book.

The edition I read was published by Picador (www.picador.com) and can be bought from all major bookstores, in our space and cyber space, for a RRP of £7.99 or less.
ISBM: 0-330-49026-5

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