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angebrown's review
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
5.0
In her new novel Clarke, Throsby continues the delightful, highly nostalgic, country NSW world building that she began in Goodwood and Cedar Valley. There is a cold case mystery within the pages of this novel (and if you're one of the millions of people worldwide who listened to a particular Australian true crime podcast, you might recognise parts of this story). That isn't what the novel Clarke is about though. This is a story about grief and the messy, uncomfortable road of healing after loss. Throsby has created characters so feeling, so complex and nuanced (and frankly far more emotionally intelligent than anyone actually was in 1991) that it was a joy to watch them find themselves and their community throughout the story. Also, without any spoilers, I have not been so completely satisfied by an ending to any novel I have read this year, as I was by the ending of Clarke.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Grief
Moderate: Body shaming, Domestic abuse, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Animal death, Car accident, Pregnancy, and Abandonment