Nancy Huston’s — The mark of an angel *****

Saffie is a German living in Paris in the 1950s who works for a musician, Raphael. Raphael falls desperately in love with Saffie while she appears strangely aloof. They have a child together, but when Saffie meets Marias, their lives fall apart and Saffie’s haunted past comes to light.

This is Huston at her best. While I read this novel more than a decade ago, it’s tale has always remained embedded in my memory — a sure sign of an exceptional story.

The importance of research

Research is a fundamental part of writing. Sometimes we think we know everything about a topic or place, but it’s always good to check the facts. Readers are savvy, and an error can pull them right out of your story. It happened to me while reading a well-known book set in Germany. Dialog yanked me out of the story and I turned to the back cover to check, knowing only an Australian author would use that phrase not a German, and I was right. Continue reading “The importance of research” →

Gail Honeyman’s — Eleanor Elephant is completely fine *****

Eleanor harbours a deep secret, not only from everyone, but also from herself. She lives a solitary life in Glasgow until she needs a colleague, Raymond, to fix her work computer. Eleanor slowly blooms when she meets other people through Raymond, but her childhood comes to haunt her.

There are laughable moments when the author betrays Eleanor’s take on her world, but also sad moments when Eleanor comes to terms with loss and a difficult childhood.

M.L. Stedman’s — The light between oceans *****

Tom is stationed on James Rock off the remote Western Australian coast as a lighthouse keeper. He marries Isabel and their life is content until Isabel grieves for the babies she miscarriages. When a dead man washes ashore with a baby cradled on board, Isabel comes alive, but the decision to keep the child has devastating consequences.