Benedict Fothergam-Gaskile has had some horrid postings during his career as a diplomat for the British. So he is happy when he finds that his next, and most likely last, post is that of the cushy city of Canberra. Ben’s official title is Counsellor of the British High Commission to Australia. Essentially it is his job to help British Tourists who find themselves in trouble.
However, things go south as soon as he arrives. In Saudi Arabia, an Australian air hostess has also headed south, straight down from a tenth story apartment to the pavement below. Two Northern Irish women are charged with her murder. Saudi Arabia is under Sharia law. If the women are found guilty, they will be either stoned to death or beheaded.
Ben is sent to the outback town with the strange name of ‘The Leap’ to plead with the father of the hostess for mercy.
Upon arriving Ben thinks that he may have stepped back in time. The town is full of misogynistic rednecks. The father is the worst of them all and Ben realises he is going to have an almost impossible task in convincing him to spare the accused women.
Set during the bushfires of 2019 and the beginning of COVID, this novel is full of dark wicked humour. The jokes flow thick and fast about our colonial past and the horrible treatment we dished out to the ‘Natives’. Finding out how the town got its name is sickening. Sometimes humour is the best way to bring attention and awareness to problems. We have come a long way since colonisation, yet I am sure that there are still towns like this dotted around the outback.
I was a big fan of Jesustown and I enjoyed The Leap just as much.
Reviewed by Neale Lucas
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Paul Daley is a celebrated Australian author, journalist and essayist.
His books have been finalists in major Australian literary awards including the Prime Minister’s History Prize, the Nib, the Manning Clark House Cultural Awards and the Indie Awards.
He now lives in Sydney with his family, including two much-loved and very needy dogs – Olive (a Collie-blue cattle dog cross) and Ronda, a pure breed black Labrador.
He reads widely and appears regularly at bookshop events and writers’ festivals.
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