|
[ Home ]
[ About | Reviews | Search | Submit ]
A measure of the immersive quality of THE RUSH came clear when my puppy asked to go outside as I was reading the book. My immediate thought was, we can't do that because we're in the middle of a massive storm! This was on a beautiful, sunny Spring day. It took me a moment to readjust to my surroundings before I could respond appropriately.
It seems that this represents Michelle Prak's first appearance in North America and published by a traditional house. The Australian writer has previously self-published three "contemporary women's novels" but has now returned to her favorite genre - the thriller. Hers was an apprenticeship that clearly has paid off. THE RUSH is complex, with many themes running through the plot. The characters are extremely well written, embodying many current social and economic problems including urban disaffection, the misogyny of withdrawn young males, the social effects of climate change, and women's insecurity in the face of masculine toxicity. Rest assured, however, that Prak does not preach but rather includes these issues organically as she develops the plot and her characters. This is, at its core, a road trip thriller that is nearly impossible to put down.
As the book starts, Hayley (who appears to be Hannah in the Australian edition of this book) and Scott, a couple who met at university and are struggling, decide to take a much-needed trip though the outback of Australia as a means of disconnecting from the electronic influences on their lives and reconnecting with each other. Strapped for money, however, they cannot afford to do the trip alone, so they turn to the Internet to look for two others to join in both the fun and finances. Livia (an environmental activist) and Joost (a Dutch engineering student) seem to fit the bill, so they hop on the 4WD in Adelaide and head off into the remote wilderness on the way to Darwin. A second plot-line deals with a couple and their three-year old son, who, along with a live-in employee, run a travelers' bar and hotel, the Pingarry, in an extremely remote setting. It's clear from the beginning that these two threads will intertwine at some point in the book.
Almost a character in itself, a huge storm develops, turning the desiccated outback into a dangerously flooded hostile environment. The writing about the setting brings both the beauty and the danger of the remote setting into focus. There is a palpable sense of menace throughout the book, and Pingarry ends up serving as the center for the sources of that menace to coalesce as the book reaches its conclusion. Not everyone makes it to that reckoning, some having already succumbed. Throughout the book, I found myself wondering about the motivation for some of the more threatening actions, but when the denouement occurred those actions made sense and supported the many underlying themes in the book.
This tremendous debut has me eager to see what Prak will bring forth next time around.
§ Sharon Mensing, retired educational leader, lives, reads, and enjoys the outdoors in Arizona.
Reviewed by Sharon Mensing, April 2024
[ Top ]
QUICK SEARCH:
Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
[ About | Reviews | Search | Submit ]
[ Home ]
|
