A quirky, child main character, intergenerational friendships and a beautiful Tasmanian setting. Three things I adore in a story. Enter The Remarkable Truths of Alfie Bain.

Alfie Bain’s mother, Emelia, has been keeping secrets from him. Growing up in Ireland, he’s always thought it was just the two of them. Little did he know he has family back in Tasmania and, after a medical incident, Emelia decides it’s time he met them. Penny Bains gets the surprise of her life when she opens the door one day to a small boy with an Irish accent and a propensity for random facts. He is the son of her missing daughter and he is about to change all their lives as he sets out to discover who his father is.

Alfie is a wonderful, clever and resourceful character who really carries the story and who you can’t help but adore. His relationships, particularly with the older ladies, is truly a joy to read. You could feel him bringing them back to life after all the sadness they’ve been through.

Told through dual timelines and multiple points of view, the story unravels slowly but not too surprisingly, so don’t expect a big reveal mystery. It is slightly predictable, but this did not take away from my enjoyment at all. A story of complicated relationships, loss, heartbreak and ultimately love. I found it very moving and went through almost every emotion possible while reading: laughing in some parts, fuming or crying in others.

My first Sarah Clutton, but it won’t be my last.

Reviewed by Sarah Krause

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

I grew up in a large and raucous family that seemed to attract an endless stream of visitors from all over the world (including, once, the Pakistani cricket team).

I studied psychology and law. After a brief and not especially brilliant career as a litigation lawyer, I shifted gears and pursued further work and study in the philanthropic and social enterprise sector.

In my 40s, I became a keen consumer of writing courses and started working as a freelance writer. Realising that my chance for a mid-life crisis with appropriate lunacy levels was slipping away, I finally wrote a novel. My books combine elements of humour, domestic drama and suspense and in 2018, I was thrilled to be named as national recipient of the Dymocks/Fiona McIntosh Commercial Fiction Scholarship.

I live with my family on Gundungurra and Tharawal land, in the beautiful Southern Highlands of New South Wales. The region is famous for the International Cricket Hall of Fame, being Australia’s first Booktown, and having a Wine Trail. Two of those three make me very happy.

Visit Sarah Clutton’s website