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Good Reading : March 2017
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GENERAL FICTION The Restorer Michael Sala M D o AUSTRALIAN AUTHOR WOM word of mouth with whom she gets some respite as they explore Newcastle’s old military tunnels and listen to his music. aryanne takes 14-year old Freya and eight-year old Daniel from the safe harbour of Nan’s home in Sydney and returns to her estranged husband, Roy, in the fragile hope of reconciliation and a return to family life. Removed from their home and friends, they relocate to Newcastle, where Roy has purchased the worst house in the best street, a derelict wreck close to the beach. The house serves as a metaphor for Roy’s relationship with his family as he patches holes and repairs floorboards, only to have the house retain the smell and feel of previous neglect. Told largely from the perspective of Freya, this is a haunting story of the helplessness of children in the face of decisions made by their parents. Freya grows angry at her mother’s hopeful determination to make things work, and she becomes increasingly reckless and abandons her positive connection with her friend Josh, The Horseman Tim Pears T he strength of this novel lies in its sense of place. Set in Devon in 1911, it masterfully portrays the lives of the farm workers on a great estate, in particular a 12-year-old boy with a special affinity for horses. Leo Sercombe, the narrator, stands to the side of the great events of the estate, listening and learning what he can, although not necessarily understanding it all. His father handles the horses on the estate and his brothers perform a variety of other roles that all contribute to farming life. Leo – in avoiding school – goes and helps them all, which gives the reader an idea of the many ways in which a great estate in maintained. The narration is charming, and although the plot itself is one of those slow builds in which not much o the Author Michael Sala achieves a strong sense of place, painting Newcastle as picturesque (with its heritage baths and ocean views) but also moody and unpredictable. He draws from real-life events, referencing the 1989 earthquake and the murder of a schoolgirl at Stockton Beach in the same year – dramatised in the film Blackrock (which featured Heath Ledger’s first credited film performance). As Roy throws his energy into renovations, we become increasingly aware that they are a substitute for intimacy, and there is a sense of an impending and inevitable breakdown. Sala’s account is sophisticated and shows the immense complexity of relationships. Nothing is black and white and Roy has his redeeming features. But the anger is close to the surface and the reader feels concern for Maryanne and Freya, and particularly for the fragile and damaged Daniel. ★★★★★ Text $29.99 Reviewed by Sue Noonan seems to occur, you will be captivated by the quality of the writing and, in particular, the way that author Tim Pears writes dialogue. se p The Horseman is the first novel of what promises to be a trilogy, which is a relief, as the abrupt ending – after 300 pages of gentle unwinding – will leave you with many questions. You o is 3 le won’t be able to predict it entirely, although there are enough hints in the narrative to point the reader in at least the right general direction. t be The shortness of the chapters means that you don’t feel the slow pace of the novel quite as much as you otherwise would. So if you like to read to explore other times and places, The Horseman may be an engaging and relaxing read. ★★★ Allen & Unwin $24.99 Reviewed by Lauren Cook GOOD READING MARCH 2017 37
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