Three Boys Gone (Mark Smith, Macmillan)

Award-winning writer Mark Smith is a familiar name on the young adult shelves, with his acclaimed Winter trilogy finding its way onto school lists nationwide. Venturing into fiction for adult readers seems a natural progression for this author of compelling, distinctly Australian stories, and Three Boys Gone is a worthy adult fiction debut. Grace Disher is a young teacher, recently appointed as an outdoor educator at an elite private boys’ school in Melbourne. Grace is eager to lead her first school expedition—a hike to Juliet Beach—but her excitement turns to dread when, by nightfall, the worst possible scenario unfolds: three of her 16-year-old students have disappeared beneath the waves. A media firestorm follows, and Grace finds herself at the centre of this maelstrom; she is abandoned by a school desperate to protect its reputation, outed as a gay woman by a media driven by conservative outrage, and vilified by keyboard warriors who equate her failure to attempt a rescue with murder. Then the threats begin, and Grace realises that this terrible accident may yet result in one more death. Three Boys Gone isn’t a traditional crime novel, nor is it quite a thriller. Instead, it’s a slow-burn examination of the pervasive misogyny in Australian society, particularly within the exclusive world of private boys’ schools, and a scathing critique of the predatory practices of an irresponsible media. The real strength of Three Boys Gone is how absolutely plausible the story is, from the terrible accident to the fallout that follows. It’s not neat, and there aren’t always answers … but that’s life.

Books+Publishing reviewer: Lian Hingee is the digital marketing manager at Readings. Books+Publishing is Australia’s number-one source of pre-publication book reviews.

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