Careless

This is the first book I've read from my box of winnings from last year, and I enjoyed it a lot. It follows a group of people who are all connected by this one artist, Adam Logan, who's designing a memorial for children. A lot of it's quite sad, but beautifully written, and the characters all seem really real. I was so pleased by the epilogue.

The more I read the more I loved it, and appreciated the restrained but lyrical quality of the writing. The plot moves in small but convincing ways. The characters are totally real. Wasn't quite happy about the way it ended, but would definitely recommend.

from the bookshow; Now to a novel about how contemporary culture deals with loss, grief and our responsibility towards others. Deborah Robertson's debut novel Careless, shortlisted for the 2007 Miles Franklin Literary Award, interweaves three stories.

Pearl, an eight-year-old girl, has just lost her younger brother Riley, who was killed with five other children in a playground massacre. Meanwhile, the recently widowed Sonya is trying to get through the day on her own without her beloved husband, whose sunnier disposition kept her darker thoughts at bay.

The various narrative threads come together when Sonia invites the young and fashionable sculptor Adam to use her late husband's workshop as his studio. Adam hopes to be awarded the show more commission to create a memorial for the dead children. That's when he starts his affair with Pearl's neglectful mother Lily -- and starts to make designs for his magnum opus.

Deborah Robertson is speaking today to the Book Show's Rhiannon Brown. show less

Short Listed for Miles Franklin Award