Invisible mending by Mike Ladd
Wakefield Press, 2016. ISBN 9781743054079
(Age: 16+) Commencing with wry observations about Adelaide and
touching recollections of the lives of everyday people, Mike Ladd
tells his stories in both poetry and prose.
Warmth, compassion and affection are evident in short stories and
poems which reveal a lot of cynicism and even anger, sometimes
tempered by a humour which prompts the reader to giggle.
As someone who is reluctant to spend time deciphering hidden meaning
in unstructured poetry, I found the verse unpretentious, with a
clear message. Often the poems contain simple observation, but are
written in a way that the average reader can understand and
appreciate the theme.
I identified with the characters in the short stories very much. The
personal account of his family's friendship with a young refugee is
very touching for so many reasons, but mainly because the writer
emphasises that whilst these people are all around us, few of us try
to get to know them.
Men depicted having hospital treatment were drawn with great realism
and poignancy. I can imagine the writer mentally writing the piece
whilst sitting in the ward with his desperately suffering father,
over an extended period.
The style and theme of the works take an abrupt change as the author
writes about his life overseas in Malaysia and Chile. His experience
and knowledge give an insight on a range of topics. I particularly
liked the depiction of a smuggling operation with a calm
acknowledgement of what prompted various individuals, without
attempting to excuse the behaviour.
I was left feeling that this author has a great affection for the
world, despite being disappointed and sometimes distraught by the
behaviour of people. It was delightful to read his short story about
an impromptu catch up with a son who had been travelling and
surviving on nothing in South America for two years. I found it
affirming that the father was interested in alternate perspectives
and was open to learning from the younger man whilst trying to cope
with compressed time in a slightly surreal environment, unfamiliar
and undesirable to both of them.
Most readers will find something they enjoy in this eclectic book.
Rob Welsh