Gail Jones is one of Australia’s finest literary writers and her latest novel Salonika Burning (Text Publishing 2022) is another example of her masterful control of language and her beautiful prose.
Set in WWI, the four main characters navigate the (true) historical burning of the city of Salonika in Greece, and the aftermath of its destruction, all while in the midst of the carnage of the Great War. Each character is loosely modelled on an actual person, Australians Stella Miles Franklin and Olive King, and British painters Grace Pailthorpe and Stanley Spencer, but Jones has reimagined their lives and their connection to each other in this novel. As nurses, ambulance drivers, diggers and surgeons, the nuanced and compelling relationship dynamics between the four is enough even without the reference to them being inspired by real people.
The novel is a clear-eyed and raw depiction of the horrors of war, never overdone, authentic and believable, moving, unsettling and an absolute joy to read. The ending is unexpected and shocking.
For those who love a fast-moving plot, this may not be the novel for you. But for those readers who enjoy a deep immersion into characterisation and relationships, and the interiority of thought, this book will be immensely satisfying.