'Beatrice Grimshaw, though born and raised in Ireland, lived and breathed the culture of the islands for most of her adult life. In these stories, she conjures the Pacific’s darker side, where sorcerers practice their ancient craft, where enchanting forests ensnare the unwary, where ghosts linger for thousands of years, and where beauty often casts a sinister shadow.'
I received a copy of this book for review. And what a splendid-looking book it is, with great cover art by Brian Coldrick. This is part of a series of strange stories by Irish Women writers.
As a young bookworm, I read a lot of Conrad, a goodly chunk of Kipling, and a fair helping of Stevenson. Grimshaw's work is somewhat reminiscent of all three. There's a laconic, somewhat cynical view of human nature, lots of local colour, and plots that are sometimes, well, strange. As Mike Ashley notes in his excellent introduction, Grimshaw's attitudes were less than progressive, but she does not seem to support the idea of a 'civilising mission'. Indeed, in her stories, it's the white man - and sometimes woman - who is shown to be ignorant, foolish, or downright villainous.
Not all of these stories focus on 'native' beliefs, rituals, or folklore. 'Through the Back Door' is an odd tale of a man who hits on a classic scam - offering people the chance to relive their youth again. While his technique works, he soon discovers a serious drawback. In 'Lost Wings' a rather unlikely plot intertwines a tale of pioneering aviation with a love story. Both are interesting, if a bid padded.
'The Long, Long Day' packs more punch. The setting is a trading post at a native village on Borneo. Again, we have a somewhat mawkish love story that could have been handled in half as many words. But the main plot concerns a native shaman whose antics are convincingly described. There is an excellent description of a kind of haunting brought about by a special dance.
'Cabin No. 9' involves leaving the Pacific via the Panama Canal. A Brit afflicted by misfortune stows away aboard a liner and selects an unused luxury cabin. The setup recalls several classics, not least F.M. Crawford's 'The Upper Berth', as a famous beauty was found dead in the cabin under mysterious circumstances. The plot, while somewhat convoluted, is satisfying. But I found it difficult to finish because, as usual, Grimshaw's prose is over-elaborate. I can imagine Hemingway or Orwell reading this and longing for just one simple, declarative sentence. 'The Blanket-Fiend' follows an expedition to a mysterious valley deep inside Borneo, where a mysterious tribe welcomes the arrival of a white explorer. He's welcome because they believe he might solve a problem involving the eponymous monster, which lurks in a nearby river. This is reminiscent of Rider Haggard, and the actual threat is well realized. 'The Cave' also features a monster, albeit of a very different order. The central idea is bonkers, drawing on late Victorian science and that era's obsession with spiritualism.
While indigenous people feature in most of these stories, only a few deal with folklore, magic, and faith. 'The Devil's Smithy' sees a missionary lady seek out a sorcerer to thwart a love rival. She decides to ring the changes on the spell she's told to cast, with very disturbing results. There are some good twists and an excellent ending.
'The Flaming Sword', set on Bali, also concerns local beliefs. A Western woman decides to spend the night in an unconsecrated temple, essentially as a test of courage. Two rivals for her affections stand watch. The ending is fairly predictable, but it is a page turner nonetheless. The descriptions of Bali and its people are - say it with me - of their time, but something of the magic of the island is conveyed here.
'The Forest of Lost Men' is another effective tale of native magic v. white interlopers. In this case, a no-nonsense gold prospector is teamed up with a more scholarly character who is fascinated by Papuan culture. The latter, despite being warned, disappears after trying to contact a reclusive tribe. Much of the story concerns the eponymous forest, an enchanted area where the narrator seems destined to wander until they drop. However, they have a trick up their sleeve...
'A Friend in Ghostland' is very odd. A woman is shipwrecked on an isolated beach, too far from civilization to journey on foot. However, she is saved by a mysterious stranger who offers her shelter and food. Who is he? Why is he there? This one kept me guessing, and the denouement is one of the weirdest in the book.
The book also contains an essay, 'How I Found Adventure', which describes some of Grimshaw's adventures. She was a remarkable woman, one of those Victorian ladies who broke away from convention and demonstrated great intelligence and initiative. Overall, this book is entertaining not just in terms of storytelling but also for the insights it offers into a colonial age that is by no means over and done with.
Comments