Guest Review

Tom Loxley is an academic, wrestling with writing the final chapter of his book, Meddlesome Ghosts: Henry James and the Uncanny, when his dog goes missing. The novel charts the next ten days of his desperate search. But over these ten days, Tom encounters some meddlesome ghosts of his own. The past just won’t stop haunting him, his mother a constant reminder of India, home and need. And his desire for the bohemian artist Nelly Zhang won’t stop haunting him either.

Michelle de Kretser’s third novel is a masterful feat of storytelling, filled with wit and ideas about modernity and history, post-colonialism and identity, about the schism between bush and city. And it is also a mystery: what exactly did happen in Nelly’s married past? And is that lost dog ever to be found? You’ll just have to read it to find out! Don’t be put off by Tom’s initial pomposity. You’ll love him by the end, and you’ll forgive Nelly her aloofness. And the great thing about this rich, clever, multi-layered novel is that after you’ve read it once, you’ll want to read it again so that more of de Kretser’s slippery narrative layers can be revealed.

Kylie Stevenson is a customer at Readings Carlton