ABBEY'S BOOKSELLER PICK ----- Sarah Vale is the daughter of a small country town's prostitute. She knows lots of secrets, like which of Banville's men visit her mother regularly, even if they pretend to live upright and righteous lives. She knows how to do without things, like regular meals and friends.
Tommy Johns knows how to do without things too, like his father's presence; in fact all the people he has ever loved disappear. So when Sarah vanishes, he isn't surprised. She is the one friend he has, although his feelings for her are deeper than that, he's too careful to let them show. But when he tries to tell others that Sarah is missing, no-one cares. Even the local copper, Sergeant Henson, can't undermine the indifference to her fate.
Tommy, with his fascination for local botany, is very observant, and he isn't going to give up on Sarah, and he isn't going to let the others, either…
A compulsively readable novel, with a few twists to keep the reader guessing. Very much in the vein of Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey if a comparison is needed, a quietly confident and multi-layered representation of secrets and undercurrents in small town life.
~ Lindy Jones (ABA Text Publishing Bookseller of the Year 2011)
The Vale Girl
Nelika McDonald
Available at Abbey's (131 York Street Sydney) ~ An Aladdin's cave for readers
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