Book Club - Esther Campion’s The Writing Class

Final Draft - Great Conversations

Esther Campion hails from Cork, but has made the North West of Tasmania her home. She is the author of Leaving Ocean Road and The House of Second Chances. Esther’s new novel is called The Writing Class.

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We’d all like to believe we’re the authors of our own story, but when Vivian’s husband Dave abandons her, she learns the hard way there are some twists she wouldn’t have plotted for herself.

Back home in Tasmania, Vivian is at a loss for what to do with herself until a chance encounter sees her teaching a writing class. Amidst the diverse students Vivian discovers that everyone has their own battles to fight…

Marilyn always dreamed of more but when she got married to an older man it quickly became kids and looking after her pensioned husband. Marilyn always knew her husband was mean but as she comes to know the members of her writing group she discovers he’s also a racist and is holding her back with his insular ideas.

Oscar has always been ashamed of his difficulty with reading and writing. It’s held him back from visiting his son in Japan and may have even cost him his marriage. He’d always believed literacy just wasn’t a skill he’d learn but soon Oscar learns there’s lots he can achieve with the right support.

Sienna was barely out of high school when Cole whisked her off her feet and down to Tasmania. Now with a new baby, Sienna must face up to the fact that Cole is not the man she thought her was. He’s gaslit her into thinking she’s worthless but with the help of The Writing Class she might finally be able to pursue her dreams and escape Cole’s clutches.

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The Writing Class is simultaneously feelgood and very much the emotional rollercoaster. The ensemble cast are brought together to lift each other up but we are also privy to their lives and the obstacles they must overcome.

The Writing Class doesn’t shy away from dealing with issues and I’d acknowledge that this novel explores a range of heavy topics including sexuality, abuse and coercive control. Each of these stories moves the characters towards realising their true selves even as they fight back against the forces that have worked to keep tied to their old sense of self.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Writing Class as both a page turner that gave me the strong character arcs I expected but also for its ability to surprise and challenge me with hard left twists.

At its heart is the notion that we can realise our dreams but that this is not some fantasy but involves real work. Through each of the characters we see that what has taken them from their path is that someone else has tried to tell their story and only when they take back control of the narrative, only when they start to write their own stories can they truly live.