All tagged fiction
If you don’t know anything about this novel, broadly it’s the story of three women from three moments in history. They’re connected by bloody tragedy, and a house by The Bass Rock. We meet each woman at a particular point in history, Sarah in the 1700’s, Ruth just after World War II and finally Viv, supposedly in the modern day.
Kate Reed Petty steps into the shoes of the ignorant high-school misogynist as she paints a soul-crushingly accurate depiction of the way young women are perceived and treated by their male counterparts. She lays bare the sad truth that even the guys who think they’re the ‘good’ ones have some very misplaced and harmful beliefs.
The book begins with a short letter from Father to son, before we even get to the first chapter. There is reflection, regret and sorrow in these words but also a glimmer of hope which is is all SO intriguing. It’s an unusual way to begin and I liked it.
The premise of the book is that a guy, of an age that we don’t know, moves to a town in Western Australia. He is working on writing a book about the disappearing towns in the area. It’s not clear how he ended up in this particular town. We don’t ever learn the name of the town that he’s in. Everyone always just refers to it as ‘the town’. As I pulled myself through this novel, I quickly tired of the repetition of this.
The book is often described as a ‘coming of age’ novel as it follows the experiences of Brian, Neil, Wendy, Deborah and Eric – though throughout we spend the most time getting to know the three boys. Each chapter is dedicated to the experiences of one of these characters, told from their perspective. Their introductions let us into their world and the foundations are laid for the story as it develops.
