Iris

Iris by Fiona Kelly McGregor

Iris is a story about a lone woman living within the criminal underbelly of Sydney during the 1930s Depression era. It is a work of fiction however, this woman called Iris Webber actually existed. Author Fiona Kelly McGregor has cleverly crafted a story gathered from limited information acquired about Iris Webber, delving into newspapers, police and court documents and built a memorable story from that research. In fact, all characters in this book existed. McGregor took known events from this period and fleshed it out with fictional details.

After walking away from a futile marriage, Iris arrives in Sydney and is befriended by a stranger offering a place to stay. She quickly realises the women in her new abode are sex workers and with little money, skills or job opportunities takes up prostitution to support herself. She becomes involved with both notorious women of this time Tilly Devine, a brothel owner and later working for Kate Leigh as a drug runner, scammer, thief and bar worker. Iris also busks with an accordion to make ends meet and is often arrested for this. The story follows her day-to-day survival, prison life, court, relationships and hopes for a better life in a time where women had very little power, respect and rights.

In this era, there is little tolerance for same sex relations, corrupt police and violent abuse of women which created a harsh world for women, however a strong woman emerges from this story. McGregor brings great authenticity to the story by using the language of the time and is attentive to fine details bringing depth to her characters.

Despite being a long read, I was completely enthralled in the portrayal of Iris and her life. A character that is kind and hard, tough and vulnerable, strong and fragile and despite her circumstances stayed true to herself. You can’t help but admire her grit and ability to keep standing up for herself when so much was against her. This story is a clever way to bring history to life.

Find Iris by Fiona Kelly McGregor

Deborah