Laura Keating

All over the Place... Laura Keating

As her mind decays, an old woman revisits her childhood, the trauma of her trek out of Rangoon, Burma and the challenges of life in an Australian migrant camp following the War. Death is elusive and in her search for release, Yolande's mind, like her life, hurtles 'all over the place'. Linked by the bond between mothers, daughters and sisters in a range of poignant contexts, the narrative is subtly feminist and also surfaces sub-themes of multicultural and transcultural significance. The strength of nurturing relationships is exposed in this kaleidoscope of fragments-all that remain of a rich life eroded and distorted by dementia. Daughters who find themselves dealing with the emotional burden of caring for their mothers and their own daughters will find inspiration in the pathos and compassion generated among the characters. Catapulted from the comfortable life of colonial Rangoon into the hardship of hunger fear, rejection and poverty, Yolande demonstrates the tenacity of unfailing love. The narrative has appeal for all who believe in the beauty, strength and vulnerability of women.