by Chris Womersley
Scribe 2010
ISBN 9781921640605
I can't say too much about Bereft because I could be gushy - but -
This is a wonderful story, gorgeous writing - there's magic, lucidity and pain. It's reminiscent of Murray Bail with its Australian echoes - though it is a universal story.
Quinn Walker returns home after World War One. Home is Flint, a small town in NSW. He fled home as a child, unjustly accused of his little sister's murder. His family believe he was killed in the war.
Sadie Fox is a young orphan waiting for her brother to return from the war, she is persecuted by powerful, yet malevolent people of Flint. She is magical and an innocent with powers.
It is about story telling, siblings, family love that endures - as well as its dissolution. It tells of the time following World War One - the flu epidemic, resentment against soldiers who lived to tell their tales -
Bereft is being hailed as a gothic novel, though I've not read enough in that genre to label it so.
In the podcast Chris talks about writing the book, his influences and spiritualism (amongst other things).
Have a listen - and I'd love to read your comments.
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