You’ll need all your wits about you to keep pace with the twin plotlines as they hurtle through the action-packed night in question.
Nineteen-year-old Em is nursing a drink at a country bar, waiting for her online date to appear. It’s a rare night of freedom from the heavy weight of life with her mother, and the sparks of connection she’s felt in conversation with her new friend Holly have left her quietly buzzing with anticipation. But Em’s evening is about to turn into a nightmare of the worst kind.
Meanwhile, Jodie has channelled her past trauma into her art and built a carefully curated life far removed from the one she once knew. On this night, she’s doing her best to mingle with guests at the opening of her latest exhibition, though unease lingers at the edges. Then comes the call that shatters her world: her daughter has been kidnapped and is being held for ransom. In that instant, Jodie’s past collides violently with her present, and she is propelled onto a collision course with a destiny inextricably bound to Em’s.
The novel’s relentless pace drags the reader deeper into a landscape that is as metaphorically suffocating as it is physically treacherous. The remote, encroaching bush closes in on both Em and Jodie, the danger tightening like a noose. Each passing hour of the night brings a new revelation, leaving the reader gasping for air.
Best read with the lights on, The Long Night confirms Christian White as a master of contemporary Australian noir, delivering a thriller that is both gripping and distinctly his own. Christian White is at his twisty, suspenseful best here.
Reviewed by Maryanne Vagg
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Christian White is an Australian author and screenwriter whose credits include feature film Relic, Netflix series Clickbait and numerous other projects in the pipeline. His debut novel The Nowhere Child was one of Australia’s bestselling debut novels ever, with rights sold in 17 international territories and a major screen deal. Christian’s second book, The Wife and the Widow (2019),and third, Wild Place (2021), were instant bestsellers. The Ledge is his fourth novel.
(2/5)
I did not enjoy White’s latest The Long Night. It felt forced and amateurish. The plot was simplistic, the writing basic and the character development non existent.
(1/5)
Very disappointed because I liked all his other novels. This was sooo confusing, I still don’t understand the plot. I also found it full of gratuitous violence.