The Landscape of Desire

Kevin Rabalais

The Landscape of Desire
Format
Paperback
Publisher
Scribe Publications
Country
Australia
Published
3 March 2008
Pages
256
ISBN
9781921215681

The Landscape of Desire

Kevin Rabalais

Several months have passed since the expedition of Burke and Wills disappeared into the desert

their whereabouts remain a mystery.Now, a search party has assembled to rescue them. Meanwhile, two other men are wandering lost in the outback- one on the verge of reaching safety; the other, broken and trapped at the heart of the continent with an Aboriginal tribe as his only hope of survival.Back in the city an actress, star of the stage in Melbourne and Sydney, longs for the return of Burke and Wills for personal reasons that will only gradually become apparent.Set in rapidly changing yet still unknown Australia and loosely based on the ill-fated Burke and Wills Expedition, The Landscape of Desire is a stunning debut novel that re-imagines the lives of the key players in this historic event and weaves them into a narrative that spans continents and decades. Written in mesmerizing prose, with echoes of Heart of Darkness and The English Patient, The Landscape of Desire slowly reveals its own secrets about love and identity, desire and death.

Review

New writer Kevin Rabalais uses the ill fated Burke and Wills expedition to craft a magical tale of love and longing. Against the back drop of their disastrous journey, Burke and Wills share their infatuation for a young actress; it is this passion that drives them in their expedition. For the impetuous and unstable Burke it becomes an obsession that clouds his judgement and ultimately leads to disaster.

For the methodical Wills, his desire to prove himself and to return successful leads to terrible disputes with Burke. Neither is aware of the other’s relationship. Rabalais crafts a complex and rewarding novel that is sure to excite much attention. The Landscape of Desire has already attracted glowing advance praise from writers such as David Malouf, Colum McCann and Alex Miller

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