Like Fire-Hearted Suns (Melanie Joosten, Ultimo)

‘Deeds not words’ was the valiant cry of the suffragettes, but does the average reader know what those deeds entailed? This average reader did not. While a work of fiction, Like Fire-Hearted Suns is based on real events that unfolded during the early 1900s, the tumultuous time when women were trying to get the vote, among other steps towards equality. The novel follows the stories of three very different women—Catherine, training to become a chemist but thwarted in her career by social attitudes towards her gender; Beatrice, a naïve student-turned-political-agitator for the suffragettes’ cause; and Ida, a warden at one of the notorious prisons to which suffragettes were sent. It’s a compelling and, at times, shocking read, with the women literally throwing themselves into dangerous situations. Then there are the hunger strikes in prison, culminating in horrendous force-feeding. And yet, these strong, educated, fearless women are seen as ‘unhinged’, constantly mansplained to, and denied opportunities because they were of ‘marrying age’ or the assumption they’d be mothers. Like Fire-Hearted Suns is a fascinating insight into this time, written in an engaging and thoughtful way. For those who enjoyed The Dictionary of Lost Words and Lessons in Chemistry, Melanie Joosten’s latest novel will fuel appreciation for the women who advocated for gender equality, no matter the cost.

Books+Publishing reviewer: Katie Haydon is a library officer in Geelong and a former assistant editor of Books+Publishing. Books+Publishing is Australia’s number-one source of pre-publication book reviews.

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