Rachel Griffiths is a consummate Australian actor who has been a household name locally since her appearance in Muriel’s Wedding back in 1994 and internationally since HBO’s Six Feet Under in the early 2000s. It is therefore no surprise that she is able to bring each and every character of Rosalie Ham’s comedic novel to life … sew …expertly.
The Dressmaker captures the essence of quirky Australian humour, detailing the tedious, gossiping existence of a small, isolated community that is interrupted by the return of disgraced ex-patriot, Myrtle ‘Tilly’ Dunnage. Every scene and sentence is bursting at the seams with the absurdity of life in the outback town of Dungatar from where Myrtle was banished as a child after being blamed for the death of the school bully.
Returning 25 years later to care for “Mad Molly”, her mother, Myrtle (now known as Tilly) is a seasoned haute couture dressmaker. Despite being despised by the small-minded townsfolk, her exquisite fashion sense soon has the ladies lining up to be able to impress their men. Little do they know that their love/hate relationship with Tilly will needle her to the point of seeking revenge against the entire town in a more spectacular fashion than her garments.
Ham sets her story in 1951 and, anyone who recalls Vivian Stanshall’s classic 1970s absurdist audio comedy, Sir Henry at Rawlinson End, will immediately appreciate the similarities in style. She details each scene with nonsensical actions, outrageous fine detail, and eccentric characters that unveil the tedium of their lives with a fine touch. Her prose is priceless and never fails to miss a moment in their deliciously dreary existence.
As the plot unfolds and we get to know the many personalities of Dungatar, Ham’s writing and Griffith’s expert narration carries an air of expectation for what tangential distraction will come next. The story is aided immensely by Griffith’s pure Aussie accent and her intricate understanding of Australian humour. There are many moments where her inflection or emphasis defies the expected and makes the sentence or dialogue even funnier. Ham and Griffiths are a match made in Heaven.
The audiobook of The Dressmaker runs for 7 hours 35 minutes. Whether reading the novel or, preferably, enjoying the audiobook released by Bolinda Audio, The Dressmaker is pure Aussie humour – quirky, outrageous, devilishly diabolical, and sure to thread your needle.
Reviewed by Rod Lewis
Twitter: @StrtegicRetweet
Rating out of 10: 9
The audiobook of The Dressmaker is available now on CD and MP3 through Bolinda Audio, or through audible.com.au
Publisher: Bolinda Audio
Release Date: 1 August 2015
RRP: $39.95 (6-CD set) or $34.95 (MP3)
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