BOOK CLUB: Taking Tom Murray Home

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By Tim Slee
ISBN: 9781460757864
Imprint: HarperCollins – AU

Author Tim Slee was the winner of the inaugural Banjo book prize, with his novel Taking Tom Murray Home.  The Banjo prize, given by HarperCollins, is a quest to find Australia’s next great story teller and having read Taking Tom Murray Home I have to agree that Tim Slee is a great story teller.

The story is of a country farming family and the aftermath of the death of the husband/father.  Tom Murray was a dairy farmer, struggling like many farmers, and he decides that rather than let the bank have his farm he’ll sell off the stock and burn the house down.  Unfortunately it goes tragically wrong and he dies in the fire. His widow Dawn feels that she doesn’t want his death to be in vain and decides to hold a funeral procession, taking him home to Melbourne where he was born.  

But the procession uses a horse and cart so it takes several days to take Tom Murray home from Yardley in country Victoria to Melbourne (covering some 350 kilometres).   Just before the procession leaves the local bank is burned to the ground and as they approach Melbourne there are more fires which causes all sorts of issues for the procession including civil unrest as the police try to track down the arsonist. 

The story is told through the eyes of one of Tom’s children, thirteen year old Jack.  Jack and his twin sister Jenny both suffer from a genetic disorder which mean they can’t feel pain or cry.   Dawn, Tom’s wife and the twin’s mother, is a determined woman and its clear as the story goes on she is becoming her own self as she becomes stronger and deals with all the issues that she has to face because of the situation her late husband has left behind and her own decision to bring his death and the issues of farmers to the attention of the Australian public with the help of the press. 

This story made me smile at times and it also made me cry especially for Jack and Jenny and the difficulties they will have in life because of their condition and the horror of losing their father.  It’s a story of how we all deal differently with grief, how community rallies round when people go through difficult times and how often it’s those you didn’t expect to support you who turn out to be the ones you can rely on.  

So Taking Tom Murray Home is the story of a unique road trip, we Australians love our road trips so many will identify with this aspect of the story and as we love the underdog we’ll want Dawn and the twins to have a happy ending and for Tom to rest in peace. 

Thanks to the Beauty and Lace Book Club and HarperCollins for the opportunity to read this novel.  I’m glad to hear that Tim Slee has a few more manuscripts on the go and look forward to reading them when they are published.  

A selection of our Beauty and Lace Members have been reading Taking Tom Murray Home by Tim Slee. You can read their reviews in the comments section below, and if you have read the book we would love to hear what you thought!

18 thoughts on “BOOK CLUB: Taking Tom Murray Home

  1. Taking Tom Murray Home was the book I needed to read. I had just read a book that was heavy and depressing and needed something that wasn’t these things
    Strange that a book that deals with financial ruin and death and many other quite serious matters can be such an uplifting story.
    It is a story as Australian as meat pies,: chock a block full of humanity. Yes it deals with very heavy subject matters but through it all you never feel despair
    I laughed, I cried but I had to keep reading until the wee hours of the morning. A lovely refreshing people book
    Many thanks to Beauty and Lace and Harper Collins for the opportunity to read this tale of Australian mateship at its best

  2. Taking Tom Murray home by Tim Slee

    Thank you beauty and lace to allowing bf hi read the book.

    Bankrupt dairy farmer Tom Murray decides he’d rather sell off his herd and burn down his own house than hand them over to the bank. But something goes tragically wrong, and Tom dies in the blaze. His wife, Dawn, doesn’t want him to have died for nothing and decides to hold a funeral procession for Tom as a protest, driving 350 kilometres from Yardley in country Victoria to bury him in Melbourne where he was born. To make a bigger impact she agrees with some neighbours to put his coffin on a horse and cart and take it slow – real slow.

    Great story of an Australian family dealing with the struggles of life. This story is told by Toms 2 children. Very easy read and recommend for an outback Aussie read.

  3. This book was really interesting to read, I really enjoyed it.

    Thank you to Tim Slee, Beauty and Lace and Harper Collins for the opportunity to read this book. It is definitely one I would read again and again

  4. “Taking Tom Murray Home” is a read that so clearly outlines stresses in rural areas of Australia for its time. The underlying story coming through with the tale of a loss and funeral procession from the aspect of the deceased son.

    Tom decided when facing bankruptcy that the bank was not taking his family home. Their valuables removed he lit it up, the fire swallowing the home. One thing he didn’t plan was a successful exit strategy, his death discovered once the fire is out. The country down shocked and devastated.

    His wife, frustrated by his actions, decided to make his loss a statement and arranges a funeral procession, by horse and cart, some kilometers into Melbourne so he may be buried with his people. Cars following to show there support this procession sparks frustrations from the police in the obstruction it presents. News people taking interest in the event and the #Burn sentiment started by Tom’s daughter. A show of support also with fires starting along the way, resulting in further conflict.

    But is Tom really dead, did he really do this, his son is not entirely convinced. Follow the story as the coffin makes its slow and arduous way to its final resting place.

    An interesting read and different perspective to what I initially would have thought of. Glad that I had the chance to read an informative and inspirational story. Thanks Beauty & Lace and Harper Collins for the opportunity.

  5. Following the horrendous bush fires I understand Tim Slee is donating all royalties for 2020 from Taking Tom Murray Home to the families of the firefighters who lost their lives.

    This is the message on his Facebook page:

    We were trapped south-east of Nowra during the Currowan fire over NY Eve and owe a huge debt to the firefighters who stopped the blaze from doing even more damage. All royalties from Taking Tom Murray Home (HarperCollins Books Australia) for 2020 will be going to the families of firefighters who gave their lives fighting these fires.

    If you’d like to help them the RFS link is below.

    https://www.rfs.nsw.gov.au/…/support-for-firefighter-famili…

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