Hunting the Wild Pine

Keith Leverson [from the book, "The Slow Natives", also by Thea Astley] has lived and experienced life on many levels ... most often painfully on the emotional and physical planes. He survived a life-threatening auto accident that left him introspective, much more so than during his rebellious teenage years. He has become a keen observer of human nature. This book shares his penetrating insights into the human condition. It describes his experiences and the lives of the odd unusual young people who are looking for meaning outside conventional society. In the words of the author, "They're the new urban trendies ... They're crawling back to the good earth in their hunt for feudal share-cropping, buying up their 5-, 10-, 20- acre blocks, living with a roof, a tamped earth floor, and hessian sides." [p.19] Thea Astley has a wry sense of humor expressed with razor edged clarity and precision. Leverson describes himself as a "monoped self-pitier" (referring to the amputation of his leg in the previous book). He is a "people person" enjoying humanity in all its frailty and courage. The first story challenges a tuba playing self-destructive wrist-slashing young female to share her self in a commune with several male partners ... She had become a convert to Christianity, a Jesus freak, and was urged to be "generous" and Christian in her expression of this alternative lifestyle. One of the most intriguing stories was "Ladies Need Only Apply". Stringer, a macrobiotic gardner and musician lived way out in the wildnerness. He placed a want ad ... seeking a "genuine lady" to be his companion. Miss Klein had recently turned 42 and was looking for adventure, something to erase her boredom. She found herself oddly attracted to the aging hippie who placed the ad. While he advocated "free love" and a natural lifestyle ... he did not coerce her into his pattern of living although, gradually he wore down her resistance and she succombed. She became more of a slave to him who advocated freedom than she would have within any conventional relationship. The author uses superior descriptions and imagery to create unforgettable and unusual characters. The odd lives they lead weave a hypnotic spell over the reader who is drawn to their bizarre behavor and strange lifestyles ... wanting to see how the other half lives. Erika Borsos (erikab93)