Title: Scrublands
Author: Chris Hammer
Published: 25/7/18
First appearance in 101: 2019
Years in 101: 1
2019 101 ranking: #57
Rating: 4 stars
Why I chose this book:
This has been incredibly popular among my Aussie Readers group on GR, and ended up being a group read for another group. So naturally I wanted to see what all the fuss was about!
Thoughts:
Definitely understand the fuss. This is a fantastic illustration of a small Australian town plagued by drought, but it's kept interesting by the protagonist's investigation into a tragic crime committed a year earlier. There's a strong story full of twists to keep you entertained, but it also paints a magnificent portrait of the unforgiving Australian rural landscape.
You can read my full review on Goodreads here.
Verdict: Was it worthy?
While it's a well-written book with some powerful imagery, I won't be surprised if this fades a little from memory. It's well-written but it's not really unique enough to endure the current onslaught of Australian crime novels set in the outback. Certainly one of the better releases of 2018, but not of all time.
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