Bohemia Beach by Justine Ettler
Transit Lounge, 2018. ISBN 9781925760002
(Age: Adult) Themes: Addiction; Musical career; Counselling.
Catherine Bell is a renowned Concert musician, but everything in her
life seems to be swirling in the swill of painful experience. Her
'self-medication' with regular consumption of alcohol and her affair
with the somewhat capricious Tomas, while preparing for performance
in Prague seems set to lead her further into the abyss . . . but she
cannot see it. Ettler reveals the sad despair of the addict -
completely oblivious to the poor pathway she is following and the
impacts that this path will have on her career and relationships.
The fact that her husband appears to be seeking a divorce, her
mother is coping with a terminal illness, and a recording deal is
teetering, are just side-notes in the discordant and badly played
symphony of her life. At every turn, Catherine seems to be creating
more problems for herself through a series of self-destructive
choices. The voice of a trusted counsellor remains the only voice of
stability in her life, but it is seldom loud enough for Catherine to
make significant changes. Woven into this sad tale is the story of
Catherine's childhood and her family dilemmas which seem to provide
a link to the plot-line and setting in Prague. A destructive flood
in Prague itself creates a subtle literary parallel to Catherine's
alcoholic deluge, but seems to also bring her to a point of possible
rescue.
With flashbacks and counselling reminiscences, the trauma of
Catherine's life is revealed. Throughout the book, the author
manages to deftly communicate the alcoholic's haze and driven
circumstances with powerful pathos. Written with incredible skill
from an accomplished writer, there are numerous literary references
to other works including "Wuthering Heights" and a classic Czech
tale. The author's own musical understanding and academic prowess in
creative writing are evident in this very adult story. Not easily
read because misery of the central character, still it is cautionary
in its revelations of the powerful grip of addictive behaviour and
the awful toll that this takes.
For adult readers only.
Carolyn Hull