In Hades by Goldie Alexander (Celapene
Press)
PBK RRP $16.95 ISBN
978-0-9750742-6-8
E-book ISBN 978-0-9750742-5-1
Reviewed by David Campbell
Homer’s Odyssey might seem an odd choice as the basis for a story written
for young adults, but if that classic poem were to be described as the original
‘road movie’ then what Goldie Alexander has achieved with her verse novel In Hades suddenly begins to make a lot
of sense. Over the years there have been many famous road movies, from our own Mad Max and The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, to the likes of
Hollywood’s Easy Rider, Thelma and Louise, Rain Man, and Little Miss
Sunshine.
That’s a fairly mixed bag, but
the common thread throughout is the journey undertaken by the central
characters, a journey of discovery and self-revelation. Alexander has explored
the complex notion of redemption though the adventures of Kai, a 17-year-old
boy who, in a daring plot-twist, dies at the very beginning of the story when
he crashes a stolen car. Kai’s younger brother Rod, who is autistic, is also
killed in the crash, and it is Kai’s search for Rod in Hades that leads him to
encounter all manner of monsters and physical challenges that have to be
overcome.
But In Hades is not just a gripping adventure tale, it’s also a love
story, for Kai meets up with the anorexic Bilby-G, and their journey together
becomes one of mutual self-discovery.
This is an ambitious project, and
one of the keys to its success is the poetry, for Alexander has effectively
managed the difficult feat of marrying the action (and the romance) to the
rhythms and cadences of the verse. The book is not one poem, but 49 of them,
each with its own distinctive structure and voice. So we begin with the
dramatically brief opening (The Accident),
which scatters words on the page as we might imagine the shattered wreckage of
the car strewn across the road, and then moves to the more tightly structured,
yet still confused, second poem (After!),
in which Kai comes to the realisation that he is dead.
Bilby-G arrives on the scene in
poem 15 (Meeting Bilby-G), but before
then we have learnt something of Kai’s troubled background, most of his
problems arising after his step-father walks out (he doesn’t know his
biological father) and takes up with another woman who rejects the two boys.
Kai’s experiences during this time will resonate with quite a few young people
and provide a useful basis for discussion, the poem titles alone striking a
chord…for example Sleeping Out, Street Kids, and No Fixed Address.
The rest of the book follows Kai
and Bilby-G as they are, in a sense, reborn, rediscovering the people they were
before their lives went downhill. We learn what brought Bilby-G to this point,
and begin to see the degree of guilt that haunts both of them and the truth
that has to be faced, best summed up by an old man they meet along the way who
tells them that they must seek forgiveness and then forgive themselves if they
are to find peace. The physical challenges they encounter, which include a
dangerous sea voyage involving whirlpools, sea nymphs (shades of Ulysses and
the Sirens) and, finally, a one-eyed monster, provide the means to this end.
The book operates on several
levels. Firstly, there’s the “What happens next?” element of the story itself,
finding out who (and what) Kai and Bilby-G meet, and how they react. Then
there’s the background, the events that led up to their deaths and the sort of
people they were…there’s ample material for debate in the way they interacted
with their families and the understanding they eventually come to about that.
And finally there’s the poetry itself, with the multitude of formats providing
the stimulus for discussion about the use of language and poetic structure to
enhance the ancient art of story-telling.
This last, for me, is the most
interesting, but that won’t be the case for everyone. Responses to poetry are,
naturally, very subjective, and the challenge for those unfamiliar with the
genre will be to come to some understanding of what the writer is trying to do.
That doesn’t mean universal agreement, of course, and there are certainly some
sections that I would have tackled differently, but that is where verse can add
an extra dimension to the tale being told. There is considerable value, and
much to be learned, in teasing out the various techniques employed and looking
at possible alternatives. This not only enhances appreciation, but prompts
readers to take an interest in having a go for themselves.
The inventive use of language is
a powerful instrument, and I recommend In
Hades as something out of the ordinary that should provide an excellent
source of stimulating material for a variety of young adult readers.
