Ash Road by Ivan Southall
"Ash Road" by Ivan Southall is a gripping novel set against the backdrop of the Australian bush, where a wild fire serves as a catalyst for the unfolding drama. The story begins with three city teenagers who venture into the bush, where they inadvertently ignite a fire that threatens their lives. The narrative seamlessly shifts between various characters living on Ash Road, each engaged in their own struggles, from picking berries to dealing with personal crises. As the fire escalates, the interconnected lives of the residents come into focus, showcasing themes of survival, guilt, and courage.
The novel masterfully depicts the stark realities of nature's unpredictability, pulling readers into a vivid landscape marked by heat and impending disaster. Southall's writing captures the essence of youthful resilience in the face of adversity, as the characters grapple with their circumstances, often feeling both empowered and overwhelmed by events. Ultimately, a miraculous rainstorm offers hope and salvation, highlighting the delicate balance between despair and survival. Celebrated for its relatable themes and well-crafted characters, "Ash Road" continues to resonate with readers, making it a significant work in Southall's acclaimed career in children's literature.
Subject Terms
Ash Road by Ivan Southall
First published: 1966
Subjects: Coming-of-age, death, emotions, and nature
Type of work: Novel
Type of plot: Psychological realism
Time of work: The 1960’s
Recommended Ages: 10-15
Locale: Australia’s bush country
Principal Characters:
Graham , a fifteen-year-old with a gentle, sensitive disposition who accidentally sets a bush fireHarry , a clever boy on the camping holiday with GrahamWallace , a big strong boy also on the camping holidayLorna George , a fourteen-year-old responsible for keeping house for her father and older brother John because her mother is in an invalid’s hospitalPippa Buckingham , a twelve-year-old girl living on Ash RoadStevie , Pippa’s younger brotherJulie , Pippa’s younger sisterPeter , a thirteen-year-old visiting his grandparents on Ash RoadGramps Fairhall , Peter’s grandfather, a retired farmer living well on an inheritance with his wifeGrandpa Tanner , an old retired farmer living alone who befriends the Buckingham children, especially the youngest, Julie
Form and Content
Ash Road is a novel with a plot that resembles the wild fire that devours the Australian bush. It moves rapidly and alights in various places. An omniscient narrator introduces and keeps track of a multitude of characters with a point of view that shifts rapidly, often moving several times within a single chapter. In the first chapter, Ivan Southall places three city teenagers in the bush country, a setting created in such minute detail that one can almost feel the hot, arid wind, smell the parched earth, and hear the crackle of the dry brush. Several times, the boys are warned about the danger of fire, but the predictable happens: In the night, a fire is accidentally started and nearly engulfs the boys as they flee for their lives. Realizing their guilt, they head for the home of a school acquaintance on Ash Road to hide out.
In the second chapter, the rest of the characters who live on Ash Road, both young and old, are revealed as they begin the morning of the thirteenth of January. Each family is engaged in the affairs of the day—the Georges are desperately picking berries that are turning to mush in the heat, the Buckinghams are cleaning up from an overflowing bathtub so that they can begin their holiday at the beach, the Fairhalls are punctually eating their six o’clock breakfast, and Grandpa Tanner, who has risen early with a sense of foreboding, comforts little Julie, who has accidentally caused the bathtub to overflow.
The fire siren starts a chain reaction of events. Sometimes, the characters seem to be in control of their actions; at other times, the events seem to control them. John deserts Lorna to continue picking the rotting raspberries with their father, who is too stubborn to admit defeat. Pippa, sent to find Julie, encounters Peter instead. Their petty argument sends Pippa to the George house, where old man George has collapsed from a heat-induced stroke. At that point, the three teenage boys appear on Ash Road in their flight. Harry and Wallace agree to help Lorna move her father. Graham goes into hiding and is tracked by Peter, who draws the intuitive conclusion that these boys have caused the fire. Meanwhile, all the adults except Gramps and Grandpa Tanner leave to fight the fire or to provide aid to the refugees. As Gramps, Wallace, and Harry try to take old man George to the hospital, they make a desperate run through the fire, but George dies before they can get help. The children are left to their own devices to survive the natural disaster. As the fire approaches, each realizes the imminent danger and seeks safety. Grandpa Tanner has lowered Julie into his well and is prepared for his own life to end. Lorna forces Graham out of his hiding place to seek refuge under the irrigation sprinklers. Pippa tries to get Stevie to the fallow potato paddock, but she must follow as he runs the other way. Peter runs toward the fire in search of his grandmother. All seem doomed, but they are saved by a miraculous rainstorm that emerges out of the fire’s cloud of destruction.
Critical Context
During a writing career spanning more than fifty years, Southall became a well-known, popular, and award-winning writer for children and young adults. His desire to surround the great moments of life with words and protect them for young readers has been appreciated by both children and critics. Ash Road is one of the novels for which Southall received the Australian Children’s Book of the Year Award. It displays many of the elements found in his other works: Hills End (1962), To the Wild Sky (1967), Finn’s Folly (1969), and Chinaman’s Reef Is Ours (1970) are all fast-moving survival tales. In each, young people face adversity with little or no adult support. This formula appears to be successful: Although Ash Road was first published in 1966, it has a contemporary feel and retains its appeal as a compelling survival story.