One of the commendations written on the cover of my copy of Michelle de Kretser’s novel, Questions of Travel, says that de Kretser “writes quickly and lightly of wonderful and terrible things.” And indeed, that is one of the defining characteristics of this book.

Questions of Travel is about the disparate lives of two individuals, Laura and Ravi, and how their circumstances compel their exit and re-entry into their home countries. One might assume that the entire story would lead up to their meeting, but that is ironically not the case. They do meet and develop a working relationship, but it is fleeting and insignificant.

Travel is the hallmark of Laura’s life. Her childhood is largely spent in the care of her Aunt Hester, due to her mother’s early death and a father who regarded her as a failure.

Hester, having travelled widely, tells Laura of the places she has visited. Death leaves its marks early in Laura’s life. Her two brothers, Hamish and Cameron, had tried to kill her by leaving the swimming pool gate open in the house. They also attributed their mother’s death to her. Later, Hester and Hamish pass away. After Hester’s death, Laura travels widely before eventually returning to Sydney and starting work for a travel guide.

Meanwhile, Ravi lives in Sri Lanka, and dreams of travelling. His fascination with geography remains with him throughout his childhood till his employment as a web developer. When his wife visits his office, he remarks to her, upon the advent of the worldwide web, that “soon everyone will be a tourist”. However, his life becomes haunted by a tragedy, a by-product of the Sri Lankan civil war; his wife and child are murdered. Permanently scarred, he escapes to Australia where he eventually starts to work for the same travel guide as Laura. However, the geographical distance does not grant Ravi escape from the tragedy, his family, and migration / refugee complications.

The aforementioned accounts merely serve as a perimeter to delineate the vast landscape of events that occur in the book. Laura and Ravi encounter a multitude of characters and experiences that shape their lives with the passage of time. Their influence is portrayed through myriad interactions and events, along with off-hand observations by de Kretser. It’s as if Laura and Ravi are picking up these influences like items to be carried along on their journey of life.

For example, consider this excerpt from the book. This is the year 2001, when Ravi is living in Australia: “A small plane flew through the depths of the river; Ravi looked up and watched it moving far above the roofs. Clouds parted, and a great rib of light reached into a valley like an illustration from a Bible story. Hills are God’s gift to our imagination, said Brother Ignatius. Who can say what lies on the other side of a hill?”

Brother Ignatius was Ravi’s geography teacher, a subject Ravi loved. Brother Ignatius’ quote is something that he had said in one of his classes. The passage of time is marked by events, rather than actual time itself. Each chapter begins with the name of either Laura or Ravi, and the decade in which the events of that chapter unfold (in the later part of the book, years are mentioned instead of the decade). Mention of the specifics of time seems to be deliberately minimal. For example, when Laura enrolls herself in art school, we can infer that she might be around 20 or 21 years of age. De Kretser may mention her age after some time, almost as an afterthought. The manner in which time is conveyed wraps a uniquely faded layer over any event that these individuals experience. Augmenting this faded layer is how the reactions of these individuals to their circumstances are portrayed. We see their joy, anger and grief, yet it is almost as if Laura and Ravi are observing themselves from a distance, feeling whatever they were feeling and performing their consequent actions.

Questions of Travel is too vast to sum up in a final paragraph. Tragedy pervades the story, whether it’s the tragedy of travel, family, work or any of the aspects of life de Kretser has explored. However, the singular manner of writing and the numerous observations that de Kretser makes throughout, leave a profound impact. The book has to be patiently read in order to completely absorb the characters, interconnections and events that ultimately lead to a premonition of a greater tragedy.

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Questions of Travel

(Novel)

By Michelle de Kretser

Allen & Unwin, Australia

ISBN 174331177X

528pp.