This week I read my second Honey Brown novel, The good daughter.
It is the author's second book: her third novel, After the darkness, I read in a day last November.
Brown writes terrific, suspenseful thrillers.
The setting for this one is a small rural Australian town, claustrophobic in its insularity and incestuousness: everyone knows everyone else and knows their business, their family history, their secrets.
Rebecca is a school girl whose dad is a truck driver; Zach is a rich boy and only son of the local landed gentry - they have a complicated attraction for each other and are on the brink of beginning a relationship when Zach's mother disappears and Rebecca is the last one to see her.
The book goes in all sorts of dark directions from here, so I won't give away any spoilers.
This author creates huge unease and tension in the reader: I was reading and thinking don't get in the car Rebecca! stay away from him! look out! oh Lord, don't go to that house get out !..... real edge of your seat reading.
A really good Australian thriller. Incidentally, it was long listed for the Miles Franklin literary award in 2011.
The photo is nothing to do with the book! My poor garden is suffering terrible heat stress - the willow has dropped a third of its leaves over a couple of days.
Hope everyone has a lovely weekend.
Thanks for your lead - I have it from LL and just started it. BTW - can highly recommend Barbara Kingsolvers' latest... you'd like it I'm sure. cheers Wendy
ReplyDeleteI have been given Barbara Kingsolver's latest (autographed no less) so am glad to hear a good review. And yes, this does sound like a marvellous book that you have reviewed - but it will have to wait.
ReplyDeleteHeat stress is hitting hard here too. The garden, and me.