The Patron Saint Of Eels

I loved this book so much I read it twice. Set in the Victorian coastal town of Mangowak the protaganist Noel Lea awakes to find the ditches that line the road outside his barn full to brimming with squirming black eels. What transpires from this very real situation is a magic and a realism to rival Calvino or Murakami. The difference, and what makes this book remarkable, is that it is richly Australian in setting, tone and language. Indeed this is the first book by a contemporary Australian author I’ve read that I believe is able to pull the magic realism tag off. That convincingly leads the reader through a remarkable and uplifting story that gains momentum instead of slipping off the rung into absurdity. Part fable, part allegory, mostly ripping good yarn it’s the story not only of Noel Lea and others in the town, but of Fra Ionio a seventeen century Franciscan monk climbing down a ladder from heaven. His stories will leave you with a sense of wonderment and the ending is perfect. Along with some of the best writing on Australian landscape you’ll ever find. A brilliant debut by an exciting new Australian voice.

Chris Grierson is from Readings Port Melbourne