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maltatoday, SUNDAY, 29 NOVEMBER 2015 41 This Week Malta through fresh – but seasoned – eyes Inga Boissevain's complex love letter to Malta makes for a worthwhile novel, whose social observations will stick in the memory, TEODOR RELJIC opines THAT Malta is a point of attrac- tion for expat communities is an accepted truism, if only because it's something of a no-brainer. The is- land's idyllic weather and comfort- able geographical position make its appeal obvious for those wanting to escape the anonymity, greyness and general bustle of their source countries. Perhaps this is even more true in the case of the more 'bohemian' travellers, with the island's rela- tively low cost of living and relaxed taxation environment making it easier to just settle in and 'create' away from excessive government and societal pressure. Of course, this cursory assessment can be evis- cerated to reveal plenty of underly- ing contradictions and paradoxes – for one, what about the 'expats' who can't afford to just settle in and work on their pet projects? – and that's another thing that makes this little island worth exploring from various angles. It is this complex brew that pro- pels Inga Boissevain's debut novel, A Maltese Marriage. On the one hand, the short novel – framed as a love story – offers the coveted 'out- sider's view' on Maltese culture: giv- ing us something we often pine for – a non-biased, and certainly non- politicised, perspective on Maltese culture. But neither can it be char- acterized as an objective take on all that makes Malta 'tick'. Because this highly autobiographical book is also shot through a personal viewpoint that makes its protagonist's – and by extension, its author's – love for Malta very much evident. On the heels of a relationship that has petered out, Swedish English- language teacher Karin heads to Malta to start a new chapter in her life. Having met her new love interest, Paul, during a trip to Lon- don, she begins to take to the idea of moving to his native Malta af- ter their wedding. The decision promises to change her life for the better, as the trip to a new – and sun-soaked – country fills her with promise and enthusiasm. But what she finds to magnetic about Malta on paper is a bit harder to ma- noeuvre in practice, with firmly en- trenched familial and social ties and staunchly conservative perspectives serving as something of a challenge to Karin – the fully emancipated Northern European. One wouldn't want to immedi- ately sideline Inga's work in favour of discussing that of her husband – the beloved, late anthropologist Jeremy, whose seminal work on Malta and the Maltese continues to be a key reference point for anyone interested in scratching the surface of this island we call our home. But in this case, the comparison would not only be warranted, but entirely justified. In a lot of ways, A Maltese Mar- riage is a tribute to not just the Mal- ta Inga and Jeremy Boissevain lived in – a fact the author makes plain in the note of acknowledgement for the novel – but it also partakes of the same intellectual curios- ity that animated Jeremy's work. It becomes evident from the novel's opening passages that an explora- tion of the social fabric of Maltese life takes first priority, and not the plot of the novel. The novel will make curious read- ing for the Maltese public since it both partakes in the harmless adulation of the island's most per- vasive characteristics – "why were the Maltese still impressed with all things foreign, from lifestyle to food and drink? There was nothing as good as a loaf of Maltese bread, with its jaw-breaking crust!" – while also offering a well-meaning but unsparing critique of some of its intrinsic structures. The chief of these that gets a drubbing is the conservative – bor- dering on xenophobic – intolerance towards any foreign values deemed to be a threat to the Maltese way of life… as embodied most clearly by the figure of 'Ninu Grocer', whose derogatory comments about Ka- rin's native Sweden ensure him a place as the de facto villain of Bois- sevain's novel. But as with the rest of this short but rich book, the bal- ance is tipped towards the positive. Malta is seen as an island of some- times stifling contradictions, but Boissevain can't help but ultimately paint is as a place of warmth – in every sense – and fulfillment. Though if painting is to be our main metaphor here, I'll propose the style of pointillism as the genre of choice. Like the dizzying – if not hypnotic – works of its luminaries such as Georges Seurat and Paul Signac, Boissevain's novel is built on lovingly juxtaposed details of a society she knows intimately. But to fully appreciate a pointillist work – and to ensure you're not just look- ing at a jumble – you need distance. This is what Boissevain brings to her work: the arm's-length distance of the outsider, and the innate awareness of the naturalized local. A Maltese Marriage is published by Choppy Books and is available at all bookstores Wonderland revisited: a conversation between Alice and her creator ALICE in Absentia is a performa- tive re-telling of Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonder- land, which will be running at the St James Cavalier theatre, Valletta from December 11 to 13 at 20:00. Created by Open Works Lab, this performance interweaves the me- diums of storytelling, sound art and dance to create a rich, multimedial space in which audiences are al- lowed to reimagine Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, which is this year celebrating its 150th an- niversary since its first publication. Alice in Absentia explores the re- lationship between Lewis Carroll and the girl who inspired him to write Alice's Adventures in Won- derland, Alice Liddell, and the in- tense emotions that emerge from this friendship such as wonder, passion, shame and regret. This performance features music composed by Renzo Spiteri, story by Giuliana Fenech, narration by Sarah Spiteri and dance by Sandra Mifsud and Christina Aquilina. Al- ice in Absentia is supported by the Malta Arts Fund, the Dance Work- shop, and Transient Ltd. For more information, visit the Open Works Lab website www. openworkslab.com/aliceinabsentia. html. Bookings: bit.ly/aliceinabsen- tiatickets Dance choreographers Christina Aquilina and Sandra Mifsud