Mr. Pip
by Deb McVittie
December 23rd, 2010 05:50 AM
Don’t expect the ordinary as you read this beautifully crafted novel by Lloyd Jones. He has created an intricate tapestry of story, history and humanity -- told through the eyes of 13-year-old Matilda -- that reflects how the power of each of these elements influences the others.
Mr. Pip is set on a remote South Pacific island called Bougainville during a time of civil war in the late twentieth century. The young men are gone, there is no electricity or medicine, and eventually Mr. Watts becomes the last white person on the island. He lives with Grace, his islander wife, in the old mission house, and drags her around in a small cart while he wears a red clown nose, causing the villagers to lower their gaze in sadness.
Bougainville becomes increasingly isolated as the war continues and reverts to what it was before the whites arrived. In the absence of anyone else to do the job, Mr. Watts agrees be the teacher for the local children who have given him the nickname “Pop Eye.” His lessons consist of reading from his battered copy of Great Expectations by Charles Dickens.
Young Matilda is so taken with Dickens’s hero, Pip, that she imagines him to be a living, breathing friend who takes her away from the troubles on her own doorstep. As the fighting near the village escalates, Mr. Watts continues to read from the favoured tome, and the island children become more and more enthralled with the story. The magic of Mr. Pip and Victorian England allows them to escape from the horrors of the war, but causes its own chaos as their real and imaginary worlds collide.
Jones has done more here than weave a clever story. Through the eyes of Matilda, her mother, Mr. Watts and the islanders, he addresses the impact of imposed cultures on indigenous peoples and the terrible costs of war, and he explores the power of literature and the human imagination to change political and emotional landscapes. All this set against the stunning beauty of the South Pacific.
Mr. Pip is a must-read, but be warned: set aside a few hours because once you turn a page, you won’t want to put it down!
Lloyd Jones was born in New Zealand in 1955 and currently lives in Wellington. His previous novels and collections of stories include the award-winning The Book of Fame, Biografi, Choo Woo, Here at the End of the World We Learn to Dance and Paint Your Wife.
Deb McVittie is the owner of 32 Books Co. in Edgemont Village
Copyright North Shore Magazine Issue Dec 07-Jan 08
Mr. Pip is set on a remote South Pacific island called Bougainville during a time of civil war in the late twentieth century. The young men are gone, there is no electricity or medicine, and eventually Mr. Watts becomes the last white person on the island. He lives with Grace, his islander wife, in the old mission house, and drags her around in a small cart while he wears a red clown nose, causing the villagers to lower their gaze in sadness.
Bougainville becomes increasingly isolated as the war continues and reverts to what it was before the whites arrived. In the absence of anyone else to do the job, Mr. Watts agrees be the teacher for the local children who have given him the nickname “Pop Eye.” His lessons consist of reading from his battered copy of Great Expectations by Charles Dickens.
Young Matilda is so taken with Dickens’s hero, Pip, that she imagines him to be a living, breathing friend who takes her away from the troubles on her own doorstep. As the fighting near the village escalates, Mr. Watts continues to read from the favoured tome, and the island children become more and more enthralled with the story. The magic of Mr. Pip and Victorian England allows them to escape from the horrors of the war, but causes its own chaos as their real and imaginary worlds collide.
Jones has done more here than weave a clever story. Through the eyes of Matilda, her mother, Mr. Watts and the islanders, he addresses the impact of imposed cultures on indigenous peoples and the terrible costs of war, and he explores the power of literature and the human imagination to change political and emotional landscapes. All this set against the stunning beauty of the South Pacific.
Mr. Pip is a must-read, but be warned: set aside a few hours because once you turn a page, you won’t want to put it down!
Lloyd Jones was born in New Zealand in 1955 and currently lives in Wellington. His previous novels and collections of stories include the award-winning The Book of Fame, Biografi, Choo Woo, Here at the End of the World We Learn to Dance and Paint Your Wife.
Deb McVittie is the owner of 32 Books Co. in Edgemont Village
Copyright North Shore Magazine Issue Dec 07-Jan 08
