Tunnel Vision
Hale & Iremonger, 98pp., $7.95pb
Whorehouse as warehouse
After listening to Dorothy Johnston being interviewed on radio on her experiences in a massage parlour one would have expected a different kind of novel from Tunnel Vision. No doubt part of Johnston’s appeal as an interviewee came from the publicity blurb which announced that “she worked for a time in a massage parlour in the late 70s, and became involved in a conflict in St Kilda over whether prostitution should be legalized. She helped form a Prostitutes’ Action Group. Though Tunnel Vision isn’t autobiographical, the inspiration for it came partly from this experience.”
For those who wish for a realistic representation of the massage parlour business Johnston’s novel will be a disappointment: for those who desire titillation, try The Delta of Venus. But those longing for a lyrical, nostalgic circling through a world of prostitutes with healing thighs will be taken in by Johnston. She has created a fantasy world in which the warehouse is a whorehouse selling not only relieving massages but also the message that tunnel vision may be as liberating as it is narrowing. It is a novel of paradox.
Continue reading for only $10 per month. Subscribe and gain full access to Australian Book Review. Already a subscriber? Sign in. If you need assistance, feel free to contact us.
Leave a comment
If you are an ABR subscriber, you will need to sign in to post a comment.
If you have forgotten your sign in details, or if you receive an error message when trying to submit your comment, please email your comment (and the name of the article to which it relates) to ABR Comments. We will review your comment and, subject to approval, we will post it under your name.
Please note that all comments must be approved by ABR and comply with our Terms & Conditions.