“Some might have thought it unhealthy for a new widow to begin work in a funeral home.” So begins this enticing debut novel from Australian Ruby Todd, set beneath the dark skies of Jericho, a small town in New South Wales.
The new widow is Sylvia Knight, still questioning the death of her husband Christopher after a hit-and-run driver killed him and left Sylvia critically injured two years earlier. We are drawn into her grieving, introspective mind, one that is intent on uncovering clues that the local police have seemingly passed by in their search for the missing driver.
Enter Theo St John, an American astronomer on secondment to Jericho to track the path of the comet he has rediscovered and named. Not seen for 4000 years, the Comet St John will enter its perihelion – its brightest point and the one closest to the sun – over Jericho during the winter months of 1997. Theo’s plan is to witness the comet’s progress as it moves into the inner solar system, increasing in speed while growing vivid green-blue tails of dust and gas before it goes on to become visible to the Northern Hemisphere.
At the forefront of events celebrating the comet’s arrival is local pastoralist Joseph Evans. He and a small group of local followers question the appearance of this astronomical wonder, suggesting that there could be “synchronicity between celestial bodies in space and human beings on Earth”. Historically, comets have been depicted as harbingers of doom, such as when Caesar’s assassination in 44BC was linked to one, then in 1066, when Halley’s Comet was used to illustrate part of the Bayeaux Tapestry, depicting the invasion of England by William the Conqueror.
In comparison, eight recent comets have been visited by earthly spacecraft, massively increasing scientific understanding. But still, contemporary conspiracies continue to arise, as illustrated by the mass suicide in California of the “Heaven’s Gate” cult, as followers attempted to leave their earthly bodies to enter a supposed alien ship hidden by the Hale-Bopp comet of 1997.
Back in Jericho, the countdown begins for the first naked-eye sighting of the comet. “Comet tourists” inundate shops and camping grounds. Sylvia experiences life in an automated haze, unable to sleep without dreaming of the past, while dreading the upcoming anniversary of Christopher’s death as it coincides with the town’s activities. As Sylvia spins into a vortex of irrational thoughts and actions, the town, too, heads towards a point of critical disconnect. Both need science to assert its strength over emotional confusion and communal disinformation.
Todd’s language skills are evident throughout this clever novel. Words and phrases are carefully chosen, illustrating an uncanny sense of simple description. Sylvia watches “a man in a Hawaiian shirt walk by the office window with a panting Alsatian” as the rain “rushes down … as if from the precipice of a great cataract”.
The backdrop alludes to its Australian setting with “a view of the carpark with its one lonely gumtree” and global cultural references abound, from Hieronymus Bosch and Mother Theresa to Persephone, adding depth and breadth to the book’s vibe. Musical references add a mental soundtrack to Sylvia’s internal musings, from Enya to Pachelbel’s Canon, Pete Seeger to Neil Young.
Todd has created a heady, literary mix of grief, mystery, astronomy, love and introspection and satisfies the reader in a way only an accomplished author can. As a previous winner of emerging writer awards, Todd, like the St John comet, has a bright future.
Bright Objects by Ruby Todd (Allen & Unwin, $36.99) is out now.
