Annie —
An Onslaught of Light by Natasha Rai
Natasha Rai’s debut novel, An Onslaught of Light, delivers on the high expectations set by its recognition in multiple manuscript awards (the 2017 Richell Prize, the 2018 KYD Unpublished Manuscript Award and the 2020 WestWords/Ultimo Prize). Refined under the guidance of mentor Emily Maguire, the book gleams with hope for overcoming grief and finding connection and community.
Archana (Arch) is queer and Indian-Australian, and has become increasingly withdrawn in response to her traumatic childhood. Her parents, Indu and Vijay, arrive in Australia in 1990 for a new beginning, having married against their families’ wishes.
Faced with meagre work opportunities, the constant crush of racism, and thwarted dreams, each member of the family tries to cope in their own ways. In 2022, Arch is estranged from her father and cocooned from the world in her Blue Mountains cottage. When news of her father’s illness forces her to return to a home full of painful memories, she must confront the past she has so carefully avoided.
Rai’s moving, finely wrought debut combines the intricate relationship dynamics often seen in Jennifer Down’s writing with the kind of nuanced portrayal of migrant experience seen in Zoya Patel’s work. The interwoven narration from Arch, Indu and Vijay offers insight into the complex interior lives of these rich, damaged characters, while Rai keeps the story moving at a steady pace. The author paints a vivid picture of the family’s migration from India and the attendant dislocation that tore them apart, guiding the reader with compassion through even the most challenging subject matter.
Alex —
Horse by Geraldine Brooks
A book about a famous racehorse, a mislaid skeleton, an old painting found on a junk pile. Nothing here remotely appealed to my taste in subject matter. But again, Geraldine Brooks surprises with her attention to fascinating details and her superb story telling.
I had heard Brooks speak about the book at Ubud, in 2023. I was inspired to buy it, but then couldn’t remember why. It sat on my shelf for 18 months. Two weeks ago, I finally reached for it. She had me hooked before I reached the bottom of the first page – and since then, I have gotten cranky every time I have had to put it down.
Set in Kentucky, the Smithsonian and New Orleans, spanning almost two centuries, Horse is a patchwork quilt of wonderful characters who all exist on the margins of society, driven by their own personal obsessions, be it art, osteology or horse racing. And of course, it is all mixed in with a good love story or two. As it says on the back cover, Horse is “an original, gripping, multilayered reckoning with the legacy of enslavement and racism in America”. And the writing is superb.