There’s a deep sadness that seeps through the pages of this novel, much like the cold and damp seeping into the house at the base of a snow-covered mountain where Beth lives with her family. Beth is 14. Her older brother, Sam, is missing after walking up the mountain in a storm. Her father, Owens, goes after Sam but now both are missing. Her mother, Grace, and Sam’s twin, Little Sasha, believe both have perished. Beth holds onto the hope that they’ll both return.

Beth narrates this story, and her voice is that of a poorly educated teenager. The storyline follows the family as they wait to see if either Owens or Sam will return, and that waiting is full of the mundanity of farm life. Beth and Sasha perform chores under their mother’s direction. Owens was in the (unstated) war and is a quiet, private man. Grace has anger issues and has taken to shooting a rifle as a distraction. Her mother verbally and physically abuses Beth. A malign presence, Wallace, is stated to be an ‘outlaw’ in the narrative, but is also Grace’s lover, turning up at the house whenever Owens is away.

The narrative reaches its peak when Owens returns alone and Beth is accosted by Wallace on the road into town. The novel features cruelty, violence and death as seen through the eyes of Beth. The narrative reads well, however Beth’s narrative voice often sounds more hard-scrabble American than the Australian she’s supposed to be.

Reviewed by Bob Moore

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Matthew Hooper is a writer, visual artist and teacher of creative writing who has worked as a novel assessor and mentor. He studied a BA in Fine Art at RMIT, then a Post Graduate Diploma in Art History and Cinema Studies at Melbourne University.

He completed a MA in Creative Writing at RMIT and studied the Associate Degree in Professional Writing and Editing at RMIT. His manuscript for his MA, My Father’s Notebook, was shortlisted for the Overland Novel Prize in 2008.

He lives in Carlton in Melbourne, Australia.

Visit Matthew Hooper’s website