Anna

When the novella opens Anna is lamenting her diminished state of physical and emotional wellbeing. Once active and proud of her fitness she has encountered asthma problems and struggles with the damp apartment. Although a child is initially presented as being with the couple, it will be revealed that Anna lost the child at seven months and the child’s presence is imaginary.

Lohrey narrates much of the novella from Anna’s point of view. This reflects the different ways in which the characters are dealing with their life change. Anna is unsettled. Her reaction to losing a child and imagining that he accompanies them is overt. She finds it hard to integrate with the life change, the elements and the snakes conspire to question if she can make the change permanent. At one stage she retreats to the city exemplifying her dual-mindedness.

Anna has a connection to the city that never truly fades. This is in comparison to Luke who develops habits that take him further away from the busy lifestyle. Luke’s newfound love of birdwatching and reading exotic travel memoirs is monumentally different from Anna’s habit of tuning into the television to watch the news services and soak in images of war, trouble and the city.

The novella’s title is generated by Anna as she questions where the couple are headed and what is the point of their changes. She feels the ‘vertigo’ of being dizzy and disconnected from Luke, the land and the boy. The change has been unsuccessful in bringing happiness, much like the author Teves in Palestine in the memoir Luke reads. It is only through fire that Anna re-emerges anew. She has a new connection with Luke after seeing him grieving and a new hope for their property and for them as a family, signified by her throwing her contraceptive pills in the rubbish.

Anna Quotes

For days she felt weepy and vulnerable, as if she were no longer the person she thought she was, or had willed herself to be. (Anna) Chapter 1

But this was only material lack; what was worse was the corrosive effect on her goodwill towards the world. (Anna) Chapter 1

Luke

Luke Worley appears for the most part a peaceful and caring character. He initiates the move to the country in response to his wife’s needs. He appears to be considering her in all things. However, underneath the surface unfolds a different story. It is Luke’s own optimism becoming ‘jittery’ that may have prompted the move, as once they have moved, his own interests seem to take precedence over the continued care of his wife. He begins his interest in birdwatching and spends quality time with Gil (Gilbert Reilly) and Alan Watts. Anna is frustrated and feels alone. Luke appears to have moved on from the city and in fact from the never-discussed yet underlying event, the stillborn birth of their child.

Although a city boy at heart, Luke embraces the rural life, leaning on Gil and Alan to model the way. He makes repairs, meets the local helicopter pilots and even defends his home from a fire. Luke is unwavering about their decision to move to Garra Nalla, never doubting that it was right for his family. When Anna struggles to fit in and feels uncomfortable, he becomes frustrated with her. He arranges for some furlough time in the city but is keen to return to the cottage as soon as he can, leaving Anna behind.

Luke’s carefree nature and ability to adapt to their new surroundings belies the deep grief that he has suppressed. Although he appears whimsical about the appearances of the boy and comfortably lost in his memoirs from Palestine, Luke is still deeply troubled in the same way Anna is but never shows it. After the ravaging fire, Luke takes a walk and with every other distraction stripped back, faces the event and breaks down. It is this sign of emotion that Anna has been waiting for and which brings them closer together, healing the rift that had begun to appear in their marriage.

Luke Quotes

As for Luke, for the first time ever he felt his innate optimism beginning to metabolise into something jittery. Chapter 1

It worries her that in the country, where men are expected to do much of their own maintenance and repairs, he will not be able to keep up with the demands of their run-down property. (Anna about Luke) Chapter 1

Instead he just stares into its eyes, and the weird thing is this: the bird stares back. It looks right at him, and in that moment of looking a current passes between them, a soundless exchange of energy. (Luke) Chapter 1

Luke is standing there, just inside the back door, and she sees that he has been crying. ‘Is it that bad?’ she asks. She has never seen Luke cry, not even once.
He shakes his head. ‘Not the fire,’ he murmurs. ‘Not the fire.’
‘The boy?’ He nods, unable to speak, and stands on the spot, as if to take another step is entirely beyond him. (Anna and Luke) Chapter 3

The Boy

The boy is a figment of the imagination and dreams of Luke and Anna. He appears to the reader without details at first in the same way he appears to Anna and Luke; an enigma that leaves the characters and the reader blurring lines between fact and fiction. As the novella progresses it is discovered that Luke and Anna were expecting a child but the child died seven months into the pregnancy. The boy reflects the couple’s hopes and dreams, becoming enlivened by the move to the country, seeking contact when Anna is feeling isolated and eventually setting sail when the healing is complete.

The Boy Quotes

And to their great delight, on each of these journeys the boy chose to accompany them. In the claustrophobic spaces of their dark little apartment his appearances were erratic and unpredictable, but once out on the freeway they would glance behind them and there he would be, lap-sashed on the back seat and with an inquiring look on his face; that dreamy, expectant expression that children get when they are travelling to an unknown destination. Chapter 1

This child of their loins, only seven and a half months old, dead in the womb; their dearest boy whose heartbeat had one day stopped, lapsed into silence, with his parents unawares, thinking that all was well, that nature was taking its course and that their lives were going along just fine. (about Luke and Anna) Chapter 3

‘Hurry up, he says, we have to get out of here, we have to get out of here now.’
‘But what about the boy, she groans, we can’t go without him, we can’t leave him behind.’ (Luke and Anna) Chapter 3

Then she sees a figure on the lagoon, sitting upright in a small skiff and paddling out to sea. And the shape of this slight figure is familiar. She jerks her head upright, squinting into the sun, for it’s hard to see clearly and the glare off the water is blinding. And yes, it is him, it’s the boy, and she sees now that the sloop is for him, is waiting to carry him to his next destination. Chapter 3

Luke’s Parents

Representative of the city life, Luke’s parents are urban dwellers. They are unable to assist Luke when he asks about a local bird call. This disappointment suggests to Luke that they do not know all they should as parents. After the move to the country Luke’s father, Ken, arrives and spends time with the couple. Luke and Anna are instantly on edge. His presence is a reminder of the city lifestyle. Ken is patronising in his ‘matey’ approach to Gil and Luke, and Anna cannot help but notice they do not get along. When asking about their wellbeing, Ken raises the loss of the child but cannot find the words, instead simply referring to ‘that other business’. This agitates Luke in some ways, and highlights that Luke and Anna have not found the words or healing to move past this tragic event.

Luke’s Parents Quotes

He thought his parents might know – older people knew things like that – but Ken and Marg proved to be as ignorant as anyone. (Luke about bird call) Chapter 1

‘Your father is still adjusting to retirement,’ Marg had said when she rang to say he was coming. ‘He’s like a brigadier who’s lost his battalion.’ Chapter 2

‘And how is she recovering from …’ He pauses, trying to find the words, ‘… from that other business?’ (Ken to Luke) Chapter 2

Gil (Gilbert Reilly)

Gil is Luke and Anna’s nearest neighbour in Garra Nalla. Approving of the sea-change generation – those who have exchanged the city streets for a coastal location – Gil immediately welcomes the couple and is an ever-present source of information to them. He is practical and has extensive local knowledge and shares some of the same characteristics as the Worleys. Gil has a son in Afghanistan about whom he refuses to speak; it seems he is superstitious that if he were to dwell on his son’s situation, something bad may happen. He does not mention his son to Luke and Anna in the same way they do not mention the Boy to him. These secret layers to people’s lives are part of the human condition for those who live in Garra Nalla; grief and fear exist but are never discussed.

Gil Quotes

Gil is a mine of local folklore. Chapter 1

And Gil approves of the new settlers, the sea changers. ‘They bring a bit of life to the district,’ he says, ‘and you can’t expect things to stay the same.’ Chapter 1

‘Why wouldn’t Gil talk about it? He’s got strong views about everything else.’
‘Bette thinks he’s superstitious. You know, if he doesn’t dwell on it, then nothing will happen to the boy.’ Luke pauses, his clippers open in mid-air. The boy? (Luke to Alan) Chapter 2

The Watts Family

Alan and Bette Watts live in Garra Nalla with their two small children. They quickly become Luke and Anna’s friends. The couples play tennis and have lunch but Anna does not feel as included as Luke who instantly takes a shine to Alan. The Watts family represent the rural and natural lifestyle, dressed for the beach, embracing the sun and nature. They have plans to harness natural energy to power their home. Alan and Bette survive the fire and stoically press on, hosting the lunch to show others that things are getting back to normal.

The Watts Family Quotes

Alan and Bette belong to that coastal tribe who seem entirely at ease in their sun-ripened bodies and who rarely appear in anything other than shorts and thongs. Chapter 2

‘I’ve told her it’s always risky to drive in a fire and they’re better off here with their backs to the sea. I think she needs something to take her mind off it so I suggested a game of tennis.’ (Alan about Bette) Chapter 3