The Memory Trap by Andrea Goldsmith $29.99 pb
What do you do when your much-loved husband of twelve years drops a bombshell? Nina Jameson, a consultant on international memorial projects, decides to leave London and return home to Melbourne. She is looking forward to spending time with her sister Zoe, while starting on a new project. Instead she finds herself caught up in the conflict between Zoe and her husband Elliot, a biographer, and two childhood friends, Ramsay and his younger brother Sean. Are memories true recollections or do we all choose to remember selectively the good or the bad things in our past? Andrea Goldsmith is a wonderful Melbourne writer who brings her characters and her city to life, with great insight into the psychological impact that passion and artistry have on those we love. A rich and compelling story of marriage, music, the illusions of love and the deceits of memory. I have always been a big fan of Andrea’s books and The Memory Trap does not disappoint.
- Review by Leonie
Indiscretion by Charles Dubow $24.99 pb
Harry and Maddie are the perfect couple who radiate a contented magnetism to all they meet. Claire is young, pretty and ruthless. She enters their orbit and eventually seduces Harry. The revelation of their torrid affair, when it comes, is devastating for Maddie. Told in ‘Great Gatsby’ style through the eyes of Maddie’s old friend Walter, Indiscretion is a confronting tale of love, trust and the brutality of betrayal.
- Review by Christine
Night of Triumph by Peter Bradshaw $29.99 pb
We are told that on the night of VE day the Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret were allowed out on to the streets of London to mingle with the rejoicing public. In Night of Triumph Peter Bradshaw draws on this revelation to embroider a highly unlikely tale of public hysteria, petty crime and royalty at large. It is an engaging spoof and lots of fun.
- Review by Christine
The Orphan Master’s Son by Adam Johnson $19.95 pb
Pak Jun Do knows he is special. He knows he must be the son of the master of the orphanage, not some kid dumped by his parents - it was obvious from the way his father singled him out for beatings. He knows he is special when he is picked as a spy and kidnapper for his country, the glorious Democratic Republic of North Korea. He knows he must find his true love, Sun Moon, the greatest opera star who ever lived, before it's too late. He knows he's not like the other prisoners in the camp. He's going to get out soon. Definitely.
- The 2013 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction citation: Awarded to ‘The Orphan Master's Son’ by Adam Johnson, an exquisitely crafted novel that carries the reader on an adventuresome journey into the depths of totalitarian North Korea and into the most intimate spaces of the human heart.
Ashenden by Elizabeth Wilhide $19.99 pb
Now in paperback, Ashenden was a great success when first published in 2012. It is a charming saga of our architectural heritage and of the connections we have with those who have gone before. Elizabeth Wilhide knows old houses well and with a touch of ‘Downton Abbey’ about it Ashenden comes to life beautifully.
- Review by Christine.
