About the book 2

About the author 3

Conversation starters 3

Just for fun 4

A note from the author 4

If you like this ... 6

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You should never talk about books on an empty stomach! Go back to 1960s Australia with its true blue classics such as party pies and mini-sausage rolls which pare surprisingly well with wine and beer. For those with a sweet tooth, lamingtons and vanilla slice make for delectable desserts. Better yet, bust out some of your old family recipes that never failed to enliven a discussion. Gramma pie, anyone?

About the Book

It’s 1968 and free-thinking country girl May Callaghan’s world is turned upside down when she finds out she’s pregnant to her boyfriend Sam, who is awaiting draft orders. A profoundly moving story of love during a time of great social change, Hello, Goodbye has an ending that will leave you cheering.

May Callaghan is seventeen years old and on her own. At least that’s how it feels.

Her devoutly religious mother and her gentle but damaged father are fighting, and May’s boyfriend, Sam, has left their rural hometown for Melbourne without so much as a backward glance.

When May lies to her parents and takes the train to visit Sam at his shared house in Carlton, her world opens wide in glorious complexity. She is introduced to his housemates, Clancy, an indigenous university student, and Ruby, a wild bohemian. With their liberal thinking and opposition to the war in Vietnam, they are everything that May’s strict Catholic upbringing should warn her against.

May knows too well the toll that war has taken on her father, and the peace movement in the city has a profound effect on her. For a while, May’s future burns bright. But then it begins to unravel, and something happens to her that will change her life forever.

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About the Author

Emily Brewin is a freelance writer and secondary school teacher. Hello, Goodbye is her first novel. She has been awarded an Australian Society of Authors Emerging Writers’ and Illustrators’ mentorship for her fiction writing, and has been shortlisted for two manuscript development programs. She lives in Melbourne’s inner north with her two children, and is currently working on her second novel.

Conversation Starters ... � In the first passages of Hello, Goodbye, May is a seemingly carefree teenager until we learn about the loss in her family and stoic relationship with her parents. Do you think these experiences are what shape her reaction to the war effort?

� When May first leaves the small rural town of Nurrigal to visit Sam in Melbourne, how does this widen her perspective of current events and is there evidence of her attitude changing when she returns home?

� Silence is a recurring motif in this book. May’s parents, who are part of the Silent generation (born 1925-42), refuse to talk about the loss of their baby, May’s father’s alcoholism and his experiences in Korea. Do you think this motif extends to the larger reality of thousands of men were not being psychologically prepared for war nor offered treatment on their return?

� May’s decision to rebel against her mother is what triggers her to move to Melbourne where she is inspired to actively contribute to a small anti-war movement. Do you think this character would have undergone the same change if she had not become pregnant and stayed in Nurrigal? Why or why not?

� One of the major themes in Hello, Goodbye is the loss of power. May’s parents plan on sending her to an unwed mothers’ home and she feels abandoned by Sam who, similarly, is forced to either join the army or live in hiding when he is conscripted. Is this theme conveyed through the other characters? Are there examples of power being regained?

� From May’s perspective, there are multiple instances of prejudice being directed at her and Clancy; one of the kinder characters who has also been the most resilient in his convictions. Why do you think the author revealed that Clancy is one of the Stolen Generation?

� As May learns more about James’ experiences in Vietnam and the toll war has on veterans, she comes to the conclusion that “the war isn’t black and white” to which Rachel responds “Nothing ever is.” This statement refers to a lot of the events in Hello, Goodbye. Which example do you feel is the strongest?

� The story ends on a positive note with May reunited with her family who will presumably support her and her son. However, it is left open as to whether May will move back to Nurrigal or stay in Melbourne. What do you think happens?

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Just for fun ... � Why not pay homage to the 60s in style by dressing up in miniskirts, flared jeans, platform heels, peace necklaces and hair coiffed to rival that of Audrey Hepburn?

� Who would you cast in a screen adaptation of Hello, Goodbye?

� If you could have a chat with any character from the novel, who would it be and why? What three questions would you ask them?

� Pick out a passage that strikes you as particularly moving or interesting and read it to the group.

A note from the author

In this interview with Writers Victoria, Emily discusses the inspiration for her story, the real social injustices women faced in the 1960s and research behind the events that shaped Hello, Goodbye.

Your novel Hello, Goodbye was sparked by your aunt’s story of being single, pregnant and Catholic in the 1960s. Though not a retelling of your aunt’s experience, how much did the need to honour your aunt, and other women who had been through a similar experience, weigh on you as you wrote the novel?

My aunt’s experience, as well as the experiences of the other women I spoke to for the novel, weighed heavily on me as I wrote, as did the many forced adoption testimonials I read. These mothers were, in most cases, young, vulnerable and completely unaware of their rights.

During their pregnancies, labour and in the days after birth, they were coerced, tricked and forced into giving their babies away. They were emotionally and sometimes physically bullied by the people who were supposed to care for them. Many are still traumatised. For these reasons, I felt an incredible sense of responsibility to get the facts and the story right.

What tools helped you envisage and recreate rural and metropolitan Australia of 1960s?

I’m a big one for looking at newspapers, photographs and archival film footage. I spent hours trawling the internet for articles and images from the 1960s. It was easy to lose sight of the clock when watching anti-Vietnam war protest clips set in Melbourne or looking at photographs of early Lygon Street coffee shops. The footage often featured streets and buildings that I know and love today, which was fascinating.

The people I interviewed for the book also gave me a sense of the social values of the time as well as a sense of place. My other go-to was my parents and family, many of whom were in their teens and twenties during the era. My Mum grew up on a dairy farm in a town like Nurrigul. Later, both she and my Dad lived in inner-city Melbourne. Their reflections on the politics and society at the time, as well as the people and places they knew, definitely informed the book.

How did you traverse the boundary between fact and fiction? Did your previous career in journalism help or even hinder you at times?

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I actually didn’t find this part of writing the book too difficult. I interview a lot as part of my writing process, which probably comes from my journalism training. These interviews help me develop characters that are, hopefully, authentic. The historic markers in the book, in terms of music, politics, social values and world affairs had to be factual for the story to be believable. I have written fictional characters and a fictional story based heavily in fact and personal experiences.

The song ‘Hello, Goodbye’ was released by the Beatles in 1967. The late sixties saw a huge shift in popular music. How did this song, in particular, influence the novel?

Originally, my book had another title. The title Hello, Goodbye came about during the editing process because it worked well with the era of the book but also worked well with it thematically.

What’s your favourite line from the book, and why?

‘I watch as she [May’s mother] rolls on my socks and ties my laces. It occurs to me that she’s loved me all along – every load of washing and plate of breakfast toast was a small declaration.’

This line reminds me of the things my Mum has done for me, and of all the mundane tasks mothers in general undertake for their children out of selflessness and love.

• Read the full Writers Victoria interview at https://writersvictoria.org.au/writing-life/on-writing/emily-brewin-on-writing-hello-goodbye

• Read more about the real life events behind the Hello, Goodbye at https://www.killyourdarlings.com.au/2017/07/july-first-book-club-emily-brewin-on-hello-goodbye/

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If you liked this book . . .

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� Bridget Crack by Rachel Leary

� Maggie’s Kitchen by Caroline Beecham