Dreams of Speaking

Protagonist, Alice Black, is a young Australian academic. The novel follows several months in the life of Alice, as she conducts research for a project that she titled The Poetics of Modernity. Intending to further her research into the unremarked beauty of modern things, Alice leaves Perth for Paris. Alice leaves behind her sister, Norah, who, unbeknown to her, is suffering from cancer.

When in Paris, Black coincidentally meets her estranged lover, Stephen. Stephen, too, had travelled to Paris to conduct, presumably, philosophical research. Stephen attempts to rekindle their relationship. But, Alice almost immediately grows distant from Stephen, instead concentrating on her research. In her mind, Alice resolves that she is not there to be with him but rather to study the concept of modernity. Through her project, Alice aims to consider the complex relationship between the human mind and "these plastic and metal extrusions," ultimately questioning how the aesthetics of technology meld with the human psyche.

Yet, upon moving to Paris, Alice becomes almost obsessively consumed by her own loneliness. She feels a sense of isolation and disorientation as she mourns her ever-growing physical and emotional distance from her working-class family and her failed relationship with Stephen. By chance, Alice meets Mr Sakamoto, an elderly Japanese gentleman, on a train. Mr Sakamoto and Alice commence a friendship, despite initial tentativeness. To her surprise, Alice discovers Mr Sakamoto spoke impeccable, literary English and was also fascinated by modern technology, working on a biography of Alexander Bell, the inventor of the telephone. Yet, Mr Sakamoto also embodied a darker side to modernity, being a survivor of the Nagasaki bomb. The pair forge an intense friendship, predicated on their shared curiosity for the modern world and their search for some way of explaining the elusive poetry which resides within a machine.

The serendipitous and surprising friendship is forged despite vast cultural and generational differences, forming the heart of the novel. Finding an intellectual partner, Alice follows Mr Sakamoto to Japan. Tragically and unexpectedly, Mr Sakamoto dies whilst in Japan. The death and Alice's grief spurs her to abandon her initial project for one of a different kind. Instead of exploring the operations of global modernity, Alice tells the story of her friendship with Mr Sakamoto. Ultimately, Alice realises that modernity is haunted by the persistence of the unmodern, typified in death, loss and mourning. The novel concludes where it began, with Alice returning to Australia to find her sister, Norah, suffering from cancer.

• Alice Black: A young Australian academic. Alice is originally from Perth, however moves to Paris, and then Japan, in order to conduct research for her project on modernity and emerging technology.
• Norah Black: Alice's sister.
• Stephen: Alice's estranged lover, an Australian academic. Stephen also travels to Paris, unbeknown to Alice, pursuing his research.
• Mr. Sakamoto: An elderly Japanese man with a passion for researching the lives of famous inventors.

From its inception, Dreams of Speaking has received a mixed reception amongst eminent literary critics.

A review from prominent British newspaper, The Independent, largely emulates the general consensus towards the novel.[5] Notably, The Independent comments on the novel's clever ability to grapple with the complex themes of memory and technology, and their abilities to alter our experiences of space and time. Furthermore, The Independent commends Jones' argument that modernity causes our perspective to shift.[5] In the novel, this argument is exemplified clearly through Alice's realisation that whilst we live in a constant present tense, merely a photograph can send us hurtling back in time. The Independent writes that Jones' refractive writing style, where the narrative is woven in fragments, further emphasises her notion of time and the impact of modernity upon our concept of it. Adil writes, in The Independent, that Jones’ refractive, fragmented writing style is commendable for its ability to mimic poetry. Adil notes that ‘shards of poetry stud Jones’ writing’ enabling her to cleanly and effectively switch between lyrical and academic register.[5]

Joanna Briscoe, a key literary critic from Australian newspaper, The Guardian, writes critically of Jones' novel.[6] Briscoe suggests that Jones' refractive writing style is difficult for the reader to grasp. She highlights that Dreams of Speaking lacks any cohesive narrative structure and is merely airy layers of imagery.[6] According to Briscoe, Jones’ attempted poetic musings fail to enlighten the reader and do not serve to enhance the novel. Briscoe deems her poetic attempts as ‘over excited flights into purple.’[6] On a positive note, Briscoe argues that Mr. Sakamoto's sparse chunks of biography are illuminating. She also suggests that Sakamoto's tales of invention are beautiful and engaging to read. Briscoe claims that the Jones’ descriptions of Alice's childhood are also a high point in the book. When describing childhood stories, Jones is able to refrain from overwriting and instead presents a simplistic and enlightening tale that is far more engaging to the reader, according to The Guardian.[6] Overall, Briscoe contends that the novel strives for an almost European sensibility, as it lacks a definite narrative structure, eschews many conventions and is suspended from a transparent theme. Yet, whilst Jones attempts to create a unique postmodern text, with a European sensibility, Briscoe maintains that Jones’ poetic experimentation requires much tightening to be as beautiful as it needs to be.[6] Whilst her attempts to create an experimental, poetic text failed, in the eyes of Briscoe, in a starker, Australian mode, Jones excels.[6]

Author James Bradley presents a predominantly positive review of Jones’ novel Dreams of Speaking in his review in The Age[7]. Bradley comments on Jones’ formidable ability to explore the theme of loss, particularly in relation to modern technology and the impending loss that inherently prevails in technology. Bradley also commends Jones’ ability to bring out the theme of loss through Mr Sakamoto's stories.[7] Mr Sakamoto's recitation of the story of Bell, and the role the haunting fact of his mother's deafness played in his later invention of the telephone was, according to Bradley's review, where the notion of loss was the strongest.[7] Bradley also notes that the sections in Nagasaki, although initially seemingly all-too-obvious, are strongly delivered by Jones to create effective and powerful commentary on the perils of modernity. Whilst Bradley's review is primarily optimistic of Jones’ novel, he does contend with Briscoe on some points. Like Briscoe, Bradley too suggests that Jones’ writing style was, at times, clunky and difficult to read.[7]

• The Independent [5]
• The Guardian [6]
• The Age [7]
• The Sydney Morning Herald [11]