The Sun Walks Down (Fiona McFarlane, A&U)

Fiona McFarlane’s debut novel The Night Guest and short story collection The High Places received critical acclaim. Now teaching creative writing at the University of California, Berkeley, the author seals her writing credentials with her second novel, The Sun Walks Down. In 1883, six-year-old Denny wanders into the arid, ancient landscape of the Flinders Ranges. We are privy to some of his thoughts and experiences, as well as to reactions to his disappearance by a large cast of characters (some darkly comic), including Denny’s long-suffering deaf mother; his sister Cissy; a caring but ineffectual vicar; the pompous sergeant in charge of the case; and Yadliawarda siblings Billy and Nancy. Emotions and actions are affected by the harsh environment, and concerns of colonisation and the misuse of Country are seamlessly integrated through character and plot. The lost (white) child is an iconic trope in Australian folklore, and McFarlane elevates the genre with her sculpted rendering of the Flinders Ranges and the surrounding scrub, creek and gorge, while the title of her novel hints at the allusive and dramatic role of the sun in her tale. The Sun Walks Down pays homage to the children’s classic Dot and the Kangaroo and is recommended for readers of Picnic at Hanging Rock and Australian Gothic literature.

Joy Lawn has worked for independent bookshops, and blogs at PaperbarkWords.

Category: Reviews