Melbourne-based independent press Transit Lounge has a particular interest in works that explore the connections between East and West, and this latest release, with a narrative that moves between characters in Australia and China, certainly fits this brief. The Yellow Papers is Dominique Wilson’s first novel but she has published several short stories and was founding managing editor of Wet Ink, a magazine devoted to new writing.

The Yellow Papers spans 100 years, shifting between several countries and following characters over generations; amazingly, Wilson fits this epic scope into a reasonably sized, 350-page novel. She does this skilfully by passing over decades and trusting the reader to fill in the gaps. At the heart of the novel is the character of Chen Mu, born in China but sent to America when he was seven. As a teenager he is forced to flee and by chance ends up in outback Australia. We then follow several other characters throughout the century, lingering on a forbidden relationship between a white Australian and a Chinese woman, both of whom are married to other people.

Although impeccably researched, the writing was a little passive in parts, and I found some of the characters, and their relationships, hard to connect with because of this. Chen Mu, however, is Wilson’s most fleshed out character and his presence is affectionately felt throughout the novel, even when he is not part of the immediate narrative – I was genuinely moved by his fate.

Kara Nicholson