This novel is set in Sydney from the 1920s to 1940s. In particular, the areas around Ultimo (‘Mo’), Newtown and the Cross. It involves the Catholic Church, gangsters, prostitution, crooked cops, fist fights, drugs, and family. It focuses on the Leech family. John wants to be a priest. Maureen has fallen into drugs and prostitution, Bob is tthe ‘youngest son’ who has become a bare-knuckle fighter.

This family are living through the depression and World War II. Short chapters follow the three siblings in their journey through life.

There are some excellent snippets of Sydney in the ‘30s and ’40s with the broad corruption of the police and the way in which the Catholic Church manipulates events to serve their own purposes. The drug and prostitution scene are explored in depth through Maureen and the gangster element of the time certainly comes through from Bob’s perspective and actions.

Unfortunately, the novel fails to really engage with the background history which should underpin the story. The Depression hardly gets a mention, everyone seems to find work, the closest we get is an eviction demonstration, with no mention of the terrible impact of this time on society. Although John does go to war and the scenes in Tobruk and New Guinea are well written. There is mention of the famous Tilly Devine but if you did not know who or what she did then the reference would be lost on you.

Despite the historical issues, this was a good and easy read. If you know the geography of Sydney the street names and suburbs add to the description.

Reviewed by Anthony Llewellyn-Evans

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Born in Sydney, John moved to Mid North Coast of New South Wales with his wife and three children in 2012. He has a broad range of life experience having spent time in the Australian Army, worked fishing trawlers out of Darwin, worked bars and doors in pubs and clubs all over Australia, and somehow ended up with an Economics Degree. He started writing in 2015 and has a fascination with the darker aspects of the human condition; the addicted, the malevolent, the scarred. He cheers for the outsider, the slacker, the contrarian, the non-conformist.

When he is not writing or pondering the darkness within men’s souls he works part-time in financial services.