The novel asks many of the questions that preoccupy thoughtful and committed travelers. We can tell ourselves that what we do contributes to global harmony, international understanding, you know the stuff I mean." It allows us to believe that publishing guidebooks is a good thing. Laura comes to some hard-hitting conclusions about the hypocrisy of corporate publishing, which she tries to explain to her friend, the sharp and ambitious head of marketing: "Have you noticed the only word you never hear around this place is 'tourism'? Because tourism's about dollars, no argument. Through Laura, we trace a process of disillusionment, from her youthful enthusiasm at seeing the monuments of London "iconic from tea towels," to her distaste for the corporate travel publishing world where an "e-zone" is created to enhance the prestige of digital publishing and where they aim to make the travel content (dreaded word) "snappier, wittier, less brown rice and more sushi, for a global net-savvy e-generation." The book examines traveling for pleasure, as we in the privileged west can do, and traveling out of necessity as so many others do, and where these intersect (if at all).īefore taking up fiction writing, de Kretser spent ten years working for Lonely Planet, which gave her ample opportunity to meditate on the business of modern-day travel. Through these characters and their migrations, the author-who moved from Sri Lanka to Australia with her family when in early adolescence-can examine different versions of and reactions to displacement from home. Ravi is a Sri Lankan IT specialist who migrates on a special visa to Australia after a family tragedy makes life impossible in his home country. The Australian Laura Fraser spends her twenties working in Britain and traveling around Europe before returning to work for a guidebook publisher in Sydney.
It intersperses the life stories of two main characters over four decades. The title reveals why perceptive travelers might be interested in reading it, because it addresses many of the issues that arise when we set off to explore other lands and cultures. Unusually for this column, the book under review is a work of fiction, a complex sprawling novel with a huge cast of characters. In this issue: A novel that captures the angst and contradictory emotions of travel, a travelogue that doesn't fare so well, and a primer on where your backpacking or vacation budget will stretch the most. Perceptive Travel Book Reviews April 2013
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