Scraps of Heaven is a new recording of Arnold Zable’s classic novel set in the post-war immigrant, working-class Melbourne suburb of Carlton. Evoking parallels with the vibrant immigrant neighbourhoods of New York’s Lower East side, and London’s East End, Scraps of Heaven records the travails and hopes of an immigrant Jewish family, interwoven with a multiplicity of characters from many cultures and walks of life.
The book is read by renowned Australian actor, Evelyn Krape. As much performance as a reading, Krape channels the diverse voices of the neighbourhood, and performs the song lyrics that are interwoven into the text. The reader is taken on a panoramic journey through the neighbourhood streets, the laneways, the vacant lots, backyard boxing gyms, rundown terrace cottages, and countless other locations. Zable recreates evenings at Melbourne’s Yiddish theatre, the Italian dance halls, and the many spaces where people gathered, and communities were rebuilt. At the heart of the novel are Zofia and Romek, and their son Josh. Zofia, once a performer of Yiddish song in pre-war Poland, is deeply disturbed by a tragic past. Romek, a Yiddish poet, is burdened by the demands of making a living and rebuilding his life, and Josh is drawn to the streets, and respite from the ghosts which inhabit the house.
With musical direction by Tomi Kalinski, original compositions by Melbourne musician Gideon Preiss, and audio production by Toby Bender and Marty Lubran— and ranging from Yiddish folk, post-war jazz standards, to popular contemporary hits — the musical references provide a soundscape of the times. Working closely with the author, Evelyn Krape's narration captures the novel’s optimism, edged with the sorrow of a changing world, in a virtuoso performance of a much-loved novel.