Jennifer Down certainly hasn’t shied away from difficult subject matter for her debut novel. And while you may be afraid this is simply for affect, Our Magic Hour possesses a natural ease, thoughtfully representing a type of realism that pervades the lives of those that empathise with difficult circumstance. The delight comes from how the prose move through this subject matter, lightly at first, developing a trust, before delving deeper into the seemingly perpetual momentum of friendship that manifests as you tumble through your twenties. And that sense of certainty, as you grow apart from family, replaced by friends, navigating love and career. But as adversity mounts, you begin to fear for Audrey, with her sense of duty and selfless determination, as you do for her boyfriend, Nick, and his stoicism. Making them endearing, as they over-estimate their resilience, and leave you wondering if it will lead to disintegration.
Mastery is not only present in the fluid, efficient prose, but also in the navigation from cliché while maintaining shape and purpose. Our Magic Hour still brings drama and resolution without relying on diagnosis, epiphany or intervention. Like many of her characters, the writer seems to have an active aversion to pursuing psychological motive, but the novel does not suffer from being shallow as a consequence. Some readers may find this lack of deeper reflection disconcerting, but I suspect this is deliberate, as a stylistic choice, but also to allow the reader to play dot-to-dot. If this was the writer’s intention, then I am grateful.
I think a lot of readers will appreciate Down’s light touch, and mature sensibility. I found a lot to relate to, and enjoyed Melbourne being used as a topography of joy, pain and sadness. Our Magic Hour is fearless, in style and substance. It doesn’t expand on the nihilism that pervaded the work of a previous generation of young, Australian writers, but captures a gritty, honest perseverance to etch out a life despite living in a world that is unlikely to change for the better. Lean, beautiful and hungry.
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