Review:
Noodle Pie by Ruth Starke
[Sound recording] Read by Stephen
Pease.
Louis Braille Audio
, 2008. (4 hrs 30 mins)
ISBN 97817425120348 4 CDs $52
Ruth Starke's brilliantly evocative story of a returning Vietnamese
refugee, is brought satisfyingly to life in this wonderful recording by
Louis Braille Audio.
On the plane to Hanoi, Andy hears some of the stories about his
father's escape from Vietnam many years before. Looking out to sea, he
cannot understand how his father was able to do something so scary, and
he realises how worried his father is as they get closer to the land of
his birth.
Subtly Starke underscores the differences between Australia and
Vietnam, as she reveals through the simplest things, the strangeness of
the country to which Andy is going. From the instructions on the plane,
to the stories Andy's father tells him, to the jewelry his father has
bought, the first chapters reveal the disparity between the lifestyles
of the two sections of the family. Through Andy's eyes the reader
sees Vietnam from an Australian point of view, and as his eyes become
more attuned to things Vietnamese, the reader too, is drawn into the
rituals and customs of this very different way of life.
Andy makes many mistakes. He sees the family restaurant through the
Australian stress on hygiene and health rules, he sees the family's
treatment of his cousin Minh, as despotic and cruel, he sees the
traffic as rule-less and chaotic, but he learns anew that things cannot
be taken at face value. Taken aback at the new suit his father wears,
his expensive watch and talk of his business, Andy cannot reconcile the
view the family has of his father and what he really is. He learns too,
that there is more to his father's story than the one he has been told
in the past.
Stephen Pease's reading is just right. He is able to replicate the
accent of a Vietnamese person speaking English or VietEnglish or
Vietnamese. The father's accent is very clear, and his fear on the
plane, palpable. Pease differentiates seamlessly between each of the
members of the Vietnamese family, from the grandmother, to the aunt and
uncle, cousins and children. Complementing this appealing multicultural
story, the reading is evocative of the nuances of life and living for
this sprawling family, and their joy at meeting again. The recording
recreates the story admirably, adding a subtle knowledge of the words
and phrases which I skimmed over on reading, but were made clear from
the audio version.
Fran Knight
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