Dominique Cheminais moves mythic. Even her surname, which auto-corrected to Chemicals whilst drafting this piece, becomes a homage to the feverish fantasies induced in her impressive oeuvre of novels and artworks. Indefinite Holiday, Cheminais’s latest novel, will have its first local launch on the 13th of September at 2 pm, at Strauss & Co, Woodstock. The launch will be followed by a Q&A session with Cheminais and her editor, Keely Shinners.

I first encountered Cheminais in late 2024 at the first iteration of the group show, GIRLS GIRLS GIRLS, a spontaneous punk pop-up show of handmade garments and works on paper, curated by Cheminais and Keely Shinners.

Apart from thinking the artist resembled a contemporary version of Uma Thurman’s delicious portrayal of Poison Ivy, I recall the mention of dreams when discussing her work. Whether surreal, nightmarish or nonsensical, Cheminais says with a slight smirk, “My vivid dreams inspire the work. They even terrify me sometimes.” Remarkably, she frightens easily. And yet instinctively and obsessively works nocturnally, writing and painting into the night and early morning hours, a vampiric author, exploring the catacombs of the human condition.  

Indefinite Holiday’s blurb reads: “Hugh Howell, a disgruntled office worker, applies for an advertisement in the newspaper, winning the contest. He is swept out of his miserable life on an indefinite holiday laden with bizarre misadventures.” Beneath the curious title of the blood-red novel, the cover demands ARE YOU SICK AND TIRED OF YOUR MISERABLE LIFE? DO YOU NEED A HOLIDAY? WRITE TO US AND TELL US WHY YOU DESERVE A LIFE FREE OF HARDSHIP AND SUFFERING!

Hugh’s life is, frankly, morbidly miserable. The character is mocked, degraded and humiliated by everyone. His mother, his male colleagues at work, the woman he desires, Carol, and most distressingly, Hugh himself. A call for peace arrives in the form of an answered advertisement, delivered by the mysterious figure Mr Addadon, his new Voyage Liaison, who plucks Howell from his miserable routine with a list of rules and stipulations:

1. Bring nothing with you but the clothes you are currently wearing.
2. Leave no explanation behind.
3. Always obey your Voyage Liaison.
4. Smile.

 Your new life begins now.

 After an unsettling journey by sea, an island appears. It is within the streets of Bone Town, a grim, sullen town on the island, that Hugh encounters a cacophony of characters as he wrestles to gain access to his promised Indefinite holiday. Greedy drunks from The Lifted Head, a local bar; the grimy waitress, Justine and her trio of demons, sea monsters, a little freckled would-be-prophet boy, Apples and his puppy all bear witness as Howell becomes stripped bare, physically and mentally in his quest for safety and a more fulfilling life awaiting at The Hotel Panoptica, perched on the clifftop, looming above the townspeople.

At first glance, Cheminais’s prose appears sharp, yet quickly reveals itself to be remarkably visceral and rich in sensory detail, charged with symbolism and intricate narratives which seamlessly feed off one another; an ecosystem bubbling and fermenting beneath the surface of a tranquil lake. With each chapter, we are asked to plunge deeper, become more knotted within a melting pot of characters’ points of view, exploring dead languages, notions of freewill and the strange and dangerous inheritances we all carry. 

Amidst the struggles of an ordinary life, an unlikely family blossoms between Hugh Howell, Justine, her ailing grandmother, the little boy and his puppy. Together, they build an imperfect life; a seemingly good life. However, a dark red book, forbidden to read by Justine and her grandmother, distracts Hugh Howell from his new family. Mr Addadon returns with a new offer, forcing Hugh to decide: what will he sacrifice to claim his indefinite holiday? What choices will he make — if he has any choice at all?