In Emma Forrest’s newest novel Royals, two worlds beautifully, painfully collide in a hospital room in London. Steven is a bashful boy from Bow who hasn’t decided if he’s gay yet. He’s in hospital because his dad put him there. Jasmine is there by her own hand – not the first attempt. She’s an heiress, used to big houses and big parties and getting anything she wants, except death.
It’s 1981, and these two inpatients are brought together by a mutual love of the Princess of Wales.
Forrest opens her novel with a charming vignette of what the big Royal Wedding must have been like for small-town East Londoners. There’s a street party with everyone from the neighbourhood, all described down to the very last stitch on their clothes and paint on their nails.
This incredibly detailed descriptive style is very characteristic of Forrest, and you’ll find it carries through the entire book. While that’s not necessarily a bad thing, it can create a feeling of wandering aimlessly through the lives of her protagonists. The book is so full of similes and metaphors it’s almost exhausting, but the story and the fragile, volatile nature of Steven and Jasmine’s relationship is enough to keep us compelled to read more.
The things Forrest does get right are breathtaking. The way she paints a picture of the emotional cycle of people in an abusive household is painfully accurate. The way the atmosphere changes in an instant, the almost undetectable tensing of the body, the shallow breathing – all things a boy desperate to protect his mother would never fail to observe. “I heard my father’s key in the door. I always knew it was him because it took him three or four goes… My mum’s ears pricked up… she stayed rooted to the spot, looking into the soapy dishes.”
The novel is retrospective, ‘written’ by an older Steven looking back on this time in his life. It’s around a 14-day period, kicking off with Diana’s wedding and finishing at the end of her honeymoon (“We called it ‘Diana’s honeymoon’ as if Charles had not been present”). This two-week timeframe seems more like two months, mostly due to the overly descriptive style mentioned earlier.
But that doesn’t mean this novel is boring by any means. People who appreciate descriptive text and finely observed detail will enjoy losing themselves in Forrest’s words. As with anything that offers a glimpse into how the other half live, Royals is tempting and tantalising. You might find yourself unable to tear yourself away from Jasmine and her antics, just like Steven.
Alana Kaye – Theatre Now
Royals, BLM Circus/Allen & Unwin
Fiction RRP $29.99
