Tag: Australian setting

Sally Hepworth’s—Mad Mabel

Elsie’s childhood in Australia is riddled with jeering and bullying at school. At home, she keeps her nose in a book but she can’t always avoid her father’s hateful gaze and her mother’s often indifference. At eighty-one, she hides her earlier life by living quietly and unnoticed, but her notorious past has a way of creeping up on her. When her neighbour with an annoying dog dies and she discovers his corpse on the floor of his house, eyes of suspicion turn on her and Elsie suspects it’s her neighbour Joan, who has informed the police who she is.

Will she be able to escape the murderous image painted about her in the past or will the taunts return to haunt her remaining years?

Kate Grenville’s—A room made of leaves*****

At the death of Elizabeth’s father, she and her mother move in with her grandfather. And while Elizabeth’s mother doesn’t care for her daughter, her grandfather dotes on her and teaches her all he knows about farming and sheep. After her mother remarries and abandons her daughter, Elizabeth is taken in by her best friend, Bridie’s parents. They are close friends until Elizabeth makes the biggest mistake that will change her life forever.

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Richard Flanagan’s — Death of a river guide *****

Alijaz is a river guide on the only remaining Tasmanian River that has not been dammed—the Franklin. In an attempt to save a tourist who’s fallen into the river, Alijaz gets trapped in the rapids. While he is entombed underwater, his dreams take him on an unforgettable journey.

Beautifully written, I didn’t want this story to end while at the same time, hoped Alijaz would survive.

Tim Winton’s — Breath *****

Bruce is on an ambulance team, but his co-workers sense something is not quite right with him. Travelling back to his teens when he met the thrill seeking Sando and his wife on the West Australian coast, we learn of the devastating event that transformed Bruce’s life.

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