The Romantic, by Barbara Gowdy
Flamingo, $27.95.
A sad but beautiful story by an intoxicating writer. The heroine is lonely 10-year-old Louise, who fantasises about having another family after the loss of her mother. Louise falls in love with her neighbour, an exotic Mrs Richter, then finds herself drawn to her brilliant son, Abel. But her first love in all its glorious intensity is doomed when Louise is unable to rescue Abel from his self-destructive tendencies.
Remember Me, by Lesley Pearse
Michael Joseph, $19.95.
Based on the true story of a convict with the First Fleet, in which the appallingly brutal conditions of the prison hulks and the ships that brought the early settlers are re-created. The central character, Mary Broad, is a survivor and her trials as well as friendships forged during life in early Sydney and during her daring and dangerous escape are an ode to the determination of the human spirit over insurmountable odds.
The Alphabet of Light and Dark, by Danielle Wood,
Allen & Unwin, $21.95.
Essie discovers significant items in a sea chest: a small coin in an oyster, a carved coconut and a picture of a little girl leaning against a dinghy. Recalling her lighthouse-keeper grandfather’s tales, she returns to Bruny Island, explores the past, writes the story of her great Aunt Alva and renews a friendship with a sculptor. A lyrical debut novel by a talented Australian who won the Vogel Award with this book.
Lorelei’s Secret, by Carolyn Parkhurst,
Sceptre, $29.95.
Paul has to come to terms with the death of his wife, Lexy, who fell from the top of an apple tree. There were no witnesses other than her dog, Lorelei. Paul feels there is more behind the accident and there are some unusual hints that he might be right. This is not a murder mystery, but more a love story of the couple’s meeting and recollected life with all its highs and lows. A beautifully written tale in which the part played by the loyal Lorelei is logical, loving and gratifyingly unsentimental.
Bare Bones, by Kathy Reichs,
Random House, $45.
A surfeit of body bones is putting paid to Temperance Brennan’s longed-for holiday during an overly hot North Carolina summer. The links between a dead baby, a plane crash and its mystery load, and a cache of human and animal bones in a remote farmhouse are woven into a deadly threat, not only to the forensic scientist, but to those whom she loves most. A train of heart-stopping twists and turns, prove once again that Reichs is a masterly suspense writer.
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