Description
In the Sticks is a 1963 semi-autobiographical debut novel by New Zealand author R.L. (Ron) Bacon. It tells the humorous, down-to-earth story of a young family adapting to the eccentricities of isolated rural life in a remote New Zealand bush valley.
The Journey Inward
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- Follows a young man, his wife, their newborn baby, and their notoriously unreliable old car as they leave the city behind.
- Details their arrival in a backward, isolated country community where the husband has been appointed to run a tiny, sole-charge school.
Running the School (and the Town)
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- Highlights the overwhelming responsibilities of a country schoolmaster, who must act as headmaster, caretaker, carpenter, adviser, and gardener all at once.
- Explores how his wife acts as his essential right hand, helping him manage both their new home and the unpredictable daily emergencies of the school.
The Colorful Locals
- Focuses on the “way-out” characters, bushmen, and farmers who make up the eccentric rural neighborhood.
- Tracks the family’s accidental involvement in the strange, chaotic local dramas, including a highly tempestuous romance between two local residents, Herbie and Myrtle.
Hardcover. First-Edition. 184 Pages. A fascinating Poor to Fair condition reading copy with foxing evident.
