In her debut short story collection, The Mother Must Die, poet Koraly Dimitriadis crafts a portrait of life in modern day Australia, where cultural expectations of migrant families clash with personal desires and the ghosts of the old country hover persistently in the background.
These 15 stories cut straight to the bone, exploring the complex dynamics of immigrant families through the lenses of multiple generations. Dimitriadis excels at capturing the push-pull between tradition and transformation, particularly in compact gems like ‘Cypriot Blue Skies’, where a woman’s divided loyalties – between her personal desires and the responsibilities of motherhood – become a metaphor for the migrant experience itself.
The collection’s strength lies in its diverse perspectives, moving deftly between the voices of first- and second-generation migrants, mainly Greek and Cypriot Australians. Dimitriadis doesn’t shy away from examining gender dynamics either – her male characters pursue their desires with an aggression that contrasts sharply with their female counterparts, who often find themselves yielding to the expectations of others, particularly men.
Some stories, like ‘Conquest’ and ‘Blood-red Numbers’, serve as searing indictments of masculine entitlement. The haunting elements, both literal such as in ‘Smelly Francesco’ and metaphorical, add an extra layer of unease to the collection.
Dimitriadis demonstrates restraint in her storytelling, trusting readers to fill in the gaps and draw their own conclusions. This approach allows the ominous undertones to build naturally and lend additional weight to themes of identity, divorce, sexuality and domestic violence.
The collection’s impact is slightly diminished by the occasional typo that – for me at least – broke the spell of these otherwise immersive narratives. This doesn’t, however, negate Dimitriadis’s talent or the importance of these stories in expanding the scope of contemporary Australian literature.
Read: Book review: The Season, Helen Garner
The Mother Must Die is a promising debut that gives voice to the disenfranchised and challenges readers to confront uncomfortable truths about class, culture and gender in modern Australia. While it may not be perfectly polished, its emotional authenticity and unflinching ‘warts and all’ examination of the migrant experience make it an interesting addition to the conversation about what it means to build a life between two worlds.
The Mother Must Die, Koraly Dimitriadis
Publisher: Puncher & Wattmann
ISBN: 9781923099340
Format: Paperback
Publication date: 1 October 2024
RRP: $32.95
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