The story begins in the past or ‘then’ through the eyes of Jeremy, a quiet, misunderstood school boy. In third person narrative, Ashton pieces together the last moments of Jeremy’s life. Riddled in poverty and trapped in a life where neither school nor home brings happiness, we see how Jeremy struggles through everyday life with nature and the natural world being the only interest which brings him peace and solace. The inevitable fate of Jeremy is known throughout most of the book and that cloud of inescapable fortune hangs over the text leaving readers crying for this boy who has so much potential. This predefined plot has traces of grunge writing in that it is filled with grief, regret, anger, and unfairness. The attractive nature in the structure of the writing, however, rejects typical grunge writing structure which is bluntly to the point and uncreative in all meanings of the word.
Ashton continues to weave grunge elements into the characters Louise and Alice. Louise is a compulsive liar and a drug addict who is obsessive in the journey to discover what happened on the night of the fire and obsessive in her risk taking behavior (i.e. The Danger Game). Alice's drug addiction is portrayed through a second person account which can at times make the reader feel like they are the ones looking through Louise's eyes, thus helping us understand and relate to the actions Louise takes and the feelings of fear, confusion, obsession and anger which embodies her character. This extract from page 147 of Ashton’s The Danger Game is an example of how the second person tense encourages the reader to step into the hectic life of drug crazed Louise.
"You vomit in the buses outside, wipe your mouth with the back of your hand. You start running. See tiny alleyways break away from the street like secret tunnels. Hear the hidden scuttlings of the night. Old strains of music from above the shops, windows thrown open. Skip, step. Hop. Jump. Kerb. Horns blast. Back into the blackness. Jogging. Leap the puddles of water, outpace the boys hovering in the corner with a joint. The world's beginning and ending..." (Ashton, 2009)
Again, similar to Jeremy’s character, Ashton has intertwined grunge themes (drugs, anger, mental illness) with modern writing techniques. This style of writing is indicative of post-grunge writing as there are traces of the traditional genre along with a new twist of educated, well thought out and structured writing.
Louise’s older sister Alice further adds to the grunge based plot by introducing a number of gloomy/taboo topics such as the notion of being trapped by an inescapable working class background, and the exploration of sex and sexuality. Alice believes that although she has spent many years getting an education to escape her disadvantaged past, the underperforming public school she works at is now being shut down leaving her with no job security and no confidence in the officials’ which are supposed to be supporting and protecting her and the other members of staff. In the background of this subplot, we follow Alice through her sexual encounters with married man Jon and her sexual experimentation with her best friend Sarah. Although these themes are not what would be written by a conservative writer, but rather a grunge writer, the way in which Ashton has told these stories is in a tasteful and less crude manner than traditional grunge writing.
In conclusion it is obvious that Ashton is not a grunge writer. Her eloquent story telling is far from the telltale signs of a grunge novel such as crude, to the point, in your face style of writing. However the themes and some vocabulary (swear words) are elements that ensure us that Ashton may have been influenced by this genre. Whether intentional or unintended the collaboration of grunge features along with the story telling skills of an educated and highly gifted writer has produced an entertaining and eye opening post-grunge novel.
Bibliography
Ashton, K., 2009. The Danger Game. Collingwood: Sleepers Publishing.
Bookseller+Publisher magazine, 2010. How did I get here? author Kalinda Ashton. [Online] Available at: http://www.fancygoods.com.au/booksellerpublisher-magazine/2010/07/28/how-did-i-get-here-author-kalinda-ashton/ [Accessed 16 April 2012].
Eurhythmaniac, 2009. Towards a Sound Theory of Australian Grunge Fiction. [Online] Available at: http://eurhythmaniac.wordpress.com/2009/01/15/towards-a-sound-theory-of-australian-grunge-fiction/ [Accessed 30 March 2012].
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