The Grass Castle (Karen Viggers, A&U)

Karen Viggers, author of the successful The Lightkeeper’s Wife and The Stranding, has penned this new tale of two women, generations apart, set in the evocative bush of the Brindabella Ranges. With its emphasis on nature, history and drama, The Grass Castle should attract a similar audience to Viggers’ earlier works. Protagonist Abby, who grew up in the bush around Mansfield, has some dark secrets in her family but is making a new life as a kangaroo researcher in Canberra, where her path is crossed by fast-driving journalist Cameron and elderly Daphne, whose family once farmed the land that Abby now studies. While the novel, with its details of kangaroo science (an alert must be given for a few gruesome scenes), initially feels a little dry, by the end it is evident that the plot is rich with themes. Issues around climate change, conservation, home, forgiveness, ageing, mental illness and the rural/urban divide are integrated seamlessly in the background. Refreshingly, while there are many twists and turns to the characters’ relationships, the romantic subplot does not dominate. The somewhat-lost and commitment-phobic Abby solicits sympathy from the reader; however, her relationship with Cameron is resolved disappointingly quickly. This book really celebrates Australia: the bush, the creatures, its people and its issues. Well written and full of detail, it is quality commercial fiction for which Viggers deserves a strong following.

Joanne Shiells is an editor and former retail book buyer

Category: Reviews