Diving for Pearls by Katherine Thomson

Diving for Pearls by Katherine Thomson is the story of working class Australians in the changing world of the 1980s to 90s. It is set in an industrial (most probably Wollongong) town, where the industries are now being sold to create a resort. The main characters are Barbara, her lover Den, Barbara's daughter Verge and Barbara's brother in law Ron. 

I am not sure if Diving for Pearls fits into the book review categories but I read the play as if it was a book so I am writing about it. Actually, this is more me complaining and whining about the play. I had to read it for school and I didn't even understand hot it can pass as an actual play. 

The play is supposedly trying to show what it was like for Australians in the late 80s and early 90s, especially for those in the steel industries. If the book was successful in doing so, then Australians were really rude, pessimistic and unmotivated or just plain unskilled. It was ridiculous how many swear words were in the play, while I understand that Thomson was trying to show the real day to day life (very generalised) of the working class Australia of that time period, it didn't make the play any less inappropriate for a class reading as well as making Australians seem really bad. 

The worst part of the play was that I couldn't empathise with the characters. I couldn't understand their personalities and motives and so the story was never real to me. A good book or play is supposed to make you feel for the characters and understand them so that their story becomes real. This play was the complete opposite

. It was hard to understand or feel for the strong headed Barbara. She basically used the guy who liked her, Den, to pay for her course. Not to mention Barbara's daughter, Verge, whom Barbara simply couldn't care less about. Barbara was cold and distant to her own daughter. I couldn't feel sorry for Den either. His lack of ambition and drive just made him seem foolish and simple minded. He had been in the same job for over 20 years and didn't have the sense to learn any more skills or to even try and get further in the business - taking confidence lessons doesn't count, it is a good idea but should have been taken in conjunction with another course such as management. 

I realise how progress sometimes causes huge changes and impacts in people's lives, not always in a positive light. I'm sure there were tragic tales of this period and the fall of the city however Barbara's story was not one of them. She was already forty and had been living in Housing Commission and only now did she take up a course, ill-suited to her, because she wanted to go work on a classy cruise. 

In class we have to discuss the theme of change in the play and nothing in the plot I can talk about. I mean where is the plot?? Everything just went back to how they were; Verge was still motherless, Barbara was the same strong headed woman living in house commissions and Den was by himself but now without a job. I could make this all fancy and talk about cyclical change, how society is always changing around us and evolving however our real essence always remains the same. But all this is really just another way to say that nothing happened in the plot. 

As you can tell I didn't really like the play. Maybe if I had lived through that rough economic transition or even if I were closer to the character's age I would be able to understand or appreciate it more but right now I just don't think it is something that is good enough to study in class or even spend time reading.