The Idea of Perfection – Kate Grenville

Set in a small NSW town in the modern Australian outback, with strong characters and a focus on the past, I found this to be a book with depth, and one that I thoroughly enjoyed.

Ignore the blurb on the back which talks of romance between two apparently mismatched temporary residents of Karakarook – yes, that does eventually come, but the book is about modern Australia and the few generations of white man and women who write and determine the history of this far more ancient land, and features relationships and attitutes that are far more complex, and rewarding, than the blurb suggests.

If you like Tim Winton’s West coast Australian novels, I think you’ll like this East coast equivalent.

Amazon.co.uk link: The Idea of Perfection – Kate Grenville