After reading a series of intense and utterly marvellous works of historical fiction and then following these with a stunning but heavy eschatological story about a Coronavirus being unleashed on the world (seriously – see my other reviews), I thought it was time for something a little lighter. Enter, Table For Eight by Tricia Stringer which was the perfect antidote in so many ways.
Set on a cruise ship (felt strange to be reading this in the shocking aftermath of the Ruby Princess and Covid-19), heading from Sydney for the South Pacific for ten days of sightseeing and indulgence, the book centres on sixty-four-year old Ketty, a fashionista and designer as well as an experienced cruiser, whose business is flailing. Determined to celebrate her sixty-fifth birthday in style, Ketty embarks on what she suspects may be her last cruise. Familiar with the ship’s regime and many of the crew, she anticipates who she’ll be seated with for the evening’s dinner. Surprised to find she’s sat a table for eight, it’s the other passengers, their interactions and reasons for being aboard that then form the crux of the story.
They’re a mish-mash of people from different parts of Australia, all motivated to set sail (or not). There’s a family group of three, an old flame and his sister, a grieving widower, a bitter divorcee and her friend. As the days pass, the reader (along with Ketty, who is like a very kind mother-hen/oracle figure) learn more and more about these passengers and share the way being on the ship, the intensity of relationships and closeness of ship-life and the forced intimacy, alters them. Some characters are delightful, others not so much.
What I particularly liked about this book is that it’s not often people in their sixties and older – and even those in their forties – get to shine. Here, they take centre stage and I found this refreshing even though sometimes I wanted to bang heads together as what the novel also demonstrates is with age one doesn’t necessarily gain wisdom.
If you’re looking for pure escapism and a quick read, this is perfect!
