On the surface, Tilda leads a fulfilling existence. She’s single and independent, and runs This Is A Sign, a business that purveys clichéd motivational products.
The novel opens – in a way that feels borrowed from Richard Flanagan’s The Living Sea of Waking Dreams – with Tilda lamenting the mysterious disappearance of her finger. There is no sign of blood or sensation of pain: only a slow disappearing act of invisibility, which, of course, is a device for a larger metaphor about age, gender and perception. In her early fifties, Tilda has already started to feel the societal invisibility that is culturally pervasive; her physical disappearances only serve to heighten this sense of estrangement.
Accompanying this feeling is PEARL – Program of Everything and Always Repeat Loop – a kind of second ego, constantly haunting Tilda with its criticisms and condemnations. Half self-loathing, half societal projection, PEARL provides a second chorus to Tilda is Visible which is an effective storytelling technique from Tara.
But Tilda is not alone in facing these dual pressures: her two friends, Leith – who co-runs the shop with her – and Ali, have her back. A trio of sorts, the strength of their bonds ties the novel together. The power of female friendship – strong on girl power, light on Bechdel passibility – stretches between love, divorce and questionable decisions.
While Leith and Ali provide light entertainment and banter, Tilda is Visible strays into deeper waters than this. The chapters that flash back to Tilda’s traumatic, domestic violence-affected childhood – which serve to underline the function of the slow acts of bodily disappearance – and, consequently, her relationship with her parents, are handled by Tara with sensitivity, helping to flesh the novel out further.
Read: Move over Millennials, it’s time for older women writers to shine
Tilda is Visible is an unashamedly easy read, while also challenging its readers to suspend belief in order to stay abreast of the plot: a kind of suburban surrealism. Tilda is a character with whom many will empathise and see themselves in – sparking conversations past the page.
Tilda is Visible, Jane Tara
Publisher: Affirm Press
ISBN: 9781922930439
Pages: 329pp
Publication Date: 27 February 2024
RRP: $34.99
