" 3.5 stars actually, but no facility to say so. Some beautiful, observant writing here in a novel that needs to take a long time to draw its threads together. Perseverance will be rewarded. Winner of the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize and on the Dublin IMPAC list for 2011, I had it in my head that this was a YA book, but it isn't - this is literary fiction. Set in Australia, the novel captures the landscapes (coast, city, outback) and the people although some use of dialogue seems forced and there are several glaring anachronisms and mispelled place names that will jar Australian readers. The British author has spent time here but ultimately it is up to editors to get these right. The major theme is damage to personalities and relationships by war experience across three generations and some of the most compelling passages are set in Vietnam. There is also an undercurrent of racism, and yet another dead girl mystery that remains so - it is simply the vehicle for another resolved missing child thread in the narrative. The main protagonist, Frank, has few redeeming qualities, and the reason for his general anger and specific hostility to his father Leon is not fully fleshed out. But the writing shows enormous promise making Evie Wyld an author to watch. "
— Readingjay, 1/15/2014