3.5 stars. I read Sala’s second novel, The Restorer, before reading this, his first novel. And you can certainly see how much he has matured as a writer. This “novel” is a thinly veiled auto-biography. It is a bit disjointed and has no real narrative arc, but I couldn’t help but feel frightened for the little boy that he was, and be saddened by the violence that he had to endure. I think Sala tries very hard to understand his mother’s decisions and elicit sympathy for her, but I really just wanted to slap her on many occasions. Again, like The Restorer, Newcastle is a character in this novel, although I don’t think Newcastle Tourism will thank him!

This is a heartbreaking story of a woman who passionately loves the wrong man. It brings to mind Helen Garner’s novel Monkey Grip: even though she knows that the relationship is damaging and dangerous, she cannot leave; the harder she pulls, the tighter his hold on her. Maryanne lives in hope that Roy will change his ways. And he does, for a while.
The fear and tension created by Roy’s looming presence pervades this novel, growing larger and darker as it reaches its inevitable conclusion.
Michael Sala has written a harrowingly true novel about abuse. You cannot help but share Maryanne’s hope for her family, but know that it is doomed.