Spoiler alert: there is a murder on a train, a plot device that has been used before, I think. The key to this very entertaining book is the context – the Australian Mystery Writers Festival takes place on a train, the Ghan, as it travels from Darwin to Adelaide. Six authors are invited to participate in literary discussions about their books, but when one is murdered, can the remaining crime writers turn into detectives, to solve the murder? There are wonderful phrases like “knees that click like the Wheel of Fortune” – great fun.
Category: Location / Setting
Behind You – Catherine Hernandez
Another riveting novel (her third) by Ms. Hernandez. Alma is a film editor for a True Crime series. An assignment to edit video information about the Scarborough Stalker triggers flashbacks to when Alma was a child, a 10-14-year-old, when her community was terrorized. Although female resilience is a worthy outcome, the ugly face of misogyny, romantic power struggles and generalized complicity in rape culture produces a gritty and disturbing story.
Cloudstreet – Tim Winton
Cloudstreet is a broken-down house in Perth, Australia, that becomes a home to two wildly disparate families, the Pickles and the Lambs. Their story begins in 1943 and spans about 20 years of heartbreak, turmoil, boisterous energy and yes, even some joy. Overall, a vivid portrayal of the remoteness of Western Australia.
The Bright Sword – Lev Grossman
Grossman (author of the magnificent The Magicians trilogy) provides an entertaining re-imagining of the King Arthur legend by focussing on a young knight Collum who arrives in Camelot two weeks after the death of Arthur at the battle of Camlann. It is a time of chaos with conflicts between knights and pagan-Christian issues. Can Camelot be preserved, be rebuilt with only a few surviving knights of the round table? There are strong women like Morgan le Fay, Nimue, and yes, Queen Guinevere, imperfect men, quests and, of course, magical fairies. Highly recommended.
If I Fall, If I Die – Michael Christie
Twelve-year-old Will lives in Thunder Bay with his agoraphobic and eccentric mother, who states that if Will steps outside their home, he will die. So of course, Will’s curiosity compels him to leave his house and instead of disaster, he experiences a complicated freedom. This is a beautifully written story of family and friendship, with skateboarding!
Michael Christie also wrote Greenwood.
Long Island – Colm Toibin
This superb book is a sequel to the exquisite Brooklyn. Twenty years have passed. It is 1976 and Eilish returns to her Irish homeland after learning about her Italian husband’s infidelity. What follows is a three-way relationship story with Nancy and Jim who are still in Enniscorthy. This is a story of unfulfilled longing with a slow reveal of intentions because of withholding. Overall, a fabulous read.
The Last Devil To Die – Richard Osman
This fourth book about the four septuagenarian members of the Thursday Murder Club has the usual crime mystery elements, notably missing heroin and multiple murders. What distinguishes this novel is the emotional content, not just reflections on aging but on dementia and death. Funny, moving and suspenseful, a delicious read.
Beautyland – Marie-Helene Bertino
Adina is an extra-terrestrial sent to earth to a single mother in Philadelphia; she is “born” in 1977, simultaneously with the launch of the Voyager-1 spacecraft. Her role is to observe and report on human behaviour, using a fax machine (!) to communicate with the extra-terrestrials. Her communications are both wistful and insightful, for someone in exile at home. Adina’s life is endlessly surprising – highly recommended, thanks Amy.
The Love of a Good Woman- Alice Munro
Simply put, the first story in this collection (same as book title) is outstanding, a must read story. Perhaps because this book was written well before Runaway, there is more emphasis on context, place but especially time (the Sixties) with so many constraints for women.
What David Read 