**MILD SPOILERS**

As a dutiful Australian I am trying to like Tim Winton's work, but I'm just not *getting it*. Don't get me wrong - he actually writes beautifully and you can visualise his scenes and his characters with little effort. With respect to this book, however, my question is - why would you want to?

Apparently deserted by his wife, a grief stricken Fred Scully sets off on a totally illogical and ill planned trip across (seemingly) every country they ever visited, in the hope of somehow finding her. Suspicious to the point of paranoia, he accuses, abuses and/or argues with every former friend or acquaintance he encounters, while becoming increasingly desperate and irrational in his behaviour. If this alone isn't sufficient to make him both pitiful and objectionable, he has in tow his 6 year old daughter for whom, despite claims of an incredible bond between them, he shows little regard. As the story unfolds and Scully's alcohol consumption increases and mental state deteriorates, she gradually takes on more and more responsibility for both his physical and emotional care, showing a level of wisdom and maturity that simply was not credible in a traumatised 6 year old. By two thirds of the way through this book I found myself just hoping it would end soon - then all of a sudden it does. No resolution, no explanation, just an ending that leaves you wondering why you bothered.

While I found the only other Tim Winton book I have read (Cloudstreet) somewhat more enjoyable and entertaining than this one, I am begining to suspect he is not the author for me. I have one more of his novels in my TBR pile, but unless it has significantly more redeeming features than did this one, I will be giving up on Mr Winton. ( )

Tedious and overrated. ( )

It took me a long time to get into this book - I got awfully bored with this guy building the house for his wife and daughter. ... it went on and on and ON. But once the daughter stepped off the airplane, along, I did become interested. I would have liked more action, and had a bit of trouble identifying all the characters he ran into while trying to find the wife. I did not like the ending - to me, it was no ending at all. I felt like the author, like me, just got tired. All in all I"m glad I didn't recommend it to my book club. ( )

This is a tremendously well written story of a “perfect” life which suddenly evaporates. Scully is the father of Billie, a precocious seven year old, and husband of Jennifer. Scully is repairing and renovating an Irish cottage which they saw while on vacation and Jennifer fell in love with. Scully has left his beloved Australia and is working on the house while Jennifer and Billie are selling their house in Australia. The first half of the book is told from Scully’s POV, and he tells us that he loves is wife and daughter, and that he would do anything for them. He explains his special relationship with Billie, who is much closer to her father than her mother. While awaiting his reunion with his family, Scully meets a few of his neighbors, some of whom are very entertaining, and begins to bond with them. When the Australian house is sold Jennifer sends Scully a telegram giving him the date and time of their arrival.

On the appointed day, only Billie steps off the plane to greet Scully, and she’s obviously experienced some form of shock at the abandonment of her mother which has rendered her speechless. Jennifer has left no note of explanation, so Scully is floundering, trying to understand what happened, where she’s gone, and why. Scully waits a few days to see if Jennifer will contact him, and then he takes Billie and begins the search for her. Their travels take them to Greece, Italy, and Holland and in each place Scully is confronted with more questions and frustrations. While on their travels, the narration shifts between Billie and Scully. In Billie we’re given a character who is old beyond her years, but sometimes still a child. With two exceptions, she handles their tribulations stoically and calmly and, as Scully begins to unravel, she assumes a “mother” role.

I felt a great deal of sympathy for the absent character, Jennifer, who becomes the elephant in the living room. She is pitiable as a woman who probably feels confined in a life that isn’t what she wants. She dreams of achieving fame, but doesn’t have the talent to achieve it. As Scully says, she’s good at many things, but she wants to be a genius. Unfortunately, she seems incapable of realization of her failure. She surrounds herself with friends and teachers who are much more talented, some of whom laugh at her behind her back for her deficiencies and blindness. Her future will surely be a series of great disappointments and she will waste years (perhaps to the end) pursuing a fantasy life.

I have a book of Winton’s short stories and look forward to reading it. ( )

Good in parts, ultimately unbelievable and unsatisfying. ( )