by David Malouf
First published 2010
David Malouf crafts a meditation on family bonds and the weight of the past in this quietly powerful novel. The story follows characters grappling with inheritance both material and emotional as they navigate relationships that span decades. Set against the backdrop of contemporary Australia, the narrative weaves between different time periods and perspectives, revealing how personal histories shape present choices. Malouf examines the complex dynamics between parents and children, the persistence of memory, and the ways people struggle to understand each other across the gaps created by time and circumstance. The characters face decisions about what to preserve from their past and what to leave behind as they move forward into uncertain futures.
Genres: literary-fiction, contemporary, 21st-century, family-drama
Vibes: atmospheric, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: family-dynamics, intergenerational
Setting: Australia
Period: Contemporary
1000 pages · Paperback · University of Sydney