ONE HUNDRED DAYS (Black Inc Books 2021) is a timeless classic by Alice Pung exploring complex mother/daughter relationships, generational trauma and expectations, belonging, betrayal, forgiveness and self-identity. Written with literary grace and beauty, Pung’s story of 16-year-old Karuna and her mother navigates many societal and cultural issues and asks readers to question how families work (or don’t work), and the keen similarities and key differences between modern Australian family models.
As she matures, adolescent Karuna is closely monitored by her Philippine mother, recently bereft by the departure of her Caucasian husband. As an only child of an immigrant, Karuna experiences the full weight of familial duty and expectations. It is little wonder that with the arrival of puberty, she develops a heady sense of her own identity and gradual freedom (along with desire and independence). In doing the exact opposite of what her mother demands, Karuna falls pregnant, and this novel is her writing to her unborn child – a perspective that is close, personal, intimate and engrossing.
When her already over-protective mother discovers her beloved child has ‘fallen’, she does everything she can to further ‘protect’ Karuna. She isolates her in their 14th floor flat, locking her in while she is away at work, she accompanies Karuna on the few occasions they leave the flat (for a doctor’s appointment, usually) and insists on imposing on her wayward daughter the many herbal remedies, ancient wisdom, superstitious beliefs and pregnancy and birthing rituals that she feels are best.
Karuna loses all control over her own life. She is alone, lonely and fearful. Then her mother announces that when the baby is born, she (Karuna’s mother) will act as the child’s mother, and Karuna will be known as the big sister. This is not what Karuna wants, but she has so little power in this relationship that the issue festers between them throughout her confinement. Other adults who might possibly help, or who Karuna turns to in desperation – her father, the father of her child, her teacher, her doctor, the midwives – all let her down in various ways. It is an unsettling race against time as Karuna fast runs out of options in the countdown of 100 days until the baby arrives. (This period also refers to the time preceding and immediately after the birth).
There is no doubt that Karuna’s mother desperately wants the best life for her daughter, and for her grandchild. But guilt, suspicion, her own past traumatic experiences and her own relationship breakdown all contribute to her acting in a controlling and claustrophobic manner. As Karuna’s baby grows inside her, her maternal feelings become stronger and she becomes more determined to step up and take responsibility for the results of her actions. But will her mother even let her?
It is a battle of wills, and Pung writes so expertly that even at the most desperate moments, readers will still see both sides of the story or the argument. The mother’s actions will resonate, but so too will Karuna’s reactions. As our sympathies rapidly shift from one to the other, we gain a greater understanding of the perspective of both mother and daughter in this complex situation, seemingly with no good answer.
Pung writes with exceptional literary skill and beauty but the novel remains highly readable and enjoyable. Hints of humour, love, warmth, understanding and forgiveness punctuate the conflict. There are some surprise reveals towards the end that offer further explanation for how this family functions.
Like Rapunzel in her tower, Karuna is stuck in a situation partly of her own making, exacerbated by her mother’s protectiveness. The question is whether this untenable circumstance will tear them apart or ultimately bring them closer together. Wonderful characters, an engaging plot and thought-provoking themes.