Black misdeeds committed in remote New South Wales shatter a small community. On a rural cattle farm in remote western New South Wales lives nine-year-old Parker Davis. He's a rebellious, angry child, much like his mother. The two constantly fight and bicker. It's a relationship that mixes love and hate, but it is the hate which is more bitter and pronounced. Parker's father is a distant figure. Unable to cope with his son he retreats to his farm work, a distant, introverted figure. When Parker's cousin Ruben comes for a visit, the two boys hang out together, but have an uneasy relationship, filled with mutual disdain and rivalry. Ruben is very much a bad seed. A spirit of evil hovers over him. When the two boys come across an unpopular boy named Toby while out walking on the outskirts of the family's property, they do something horrible that will have reverberations for years to come. Parker manages his feelings of guilt through his teenage years by developing close school friendships with Nayley and Hazel. When the three decide to camp together at a regular spot that holds significant memories, along with Nayley's new boyfriend, Jonah, the past comes crowding back in a dramatic way, threatening to blow their close bond apart. James McKenzie Watson won the 2021 Penguin Literary Prize for this debut thriller. It's an eminently worthy winner. Dealing with themes of shame and guilt, Denizen has an irresistibly propulsive quality. The story constantly shifts back and forth in time, creating a sense of suspense and horror as key details are slowly revealed. The tension is pitch perfect and never lags. The rural setting is particularly evocative, highlighting the other themes of the book: toxic isolation, deteriorating mental health and suicide. For readers of Lyn Yeowart's The Silent Listener and Jane Harper, Denizen is sure to be the literary phenomenon of 2022. Denizen, by James McKenzie Watson. Published by Penguin. $32.99 Review by Chris Saliba Comments are closed.
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