Rural romance meets family mystery in the Australian outback

I was intrigued by the notion of reviewing a book written by four members of a book club. Would it be fragmented, disconnected and written in multiple voices? The answer is no. It is smooth, seamless and has a wonderful narrative flow.

I soon forgot my initial reserve and just dived in to enjoy the fast-paced plot. And enjoy The Shifting Light by Alice Campion I did.

When a Sydney book club came up with the idea to write a book together, The Painted Sky was the very clever collaboration. We were introduced to Nina Larkin who returns to inherit her father’s rural property after he goes missing and is then found dead. He was famous artist Jim Larkin and Nina has inherited his gift. However her mother, wealthy landowner Hilary Flint lives nearby at an ostentatious and outdated rural property which exploits the land. She finds love with Heath Blackett, a young farmer who is focused on transforming outdated farming practices in order to introduce a more holistic farming method.

In this second book, The Shifting Light, Nina has now established her painting studio and art retreat ‘The Painted Sky’. Organised by her friend Izzy, Nina finds her life is too busy, Heath is caught up in his land management. Running the art retreat and trying to find time to build up her own art portfolio for an exhibition after winning a recent art award, puts a strain on the couple’s relationship.

Not yet married, there is an unspoken tension between the pair as both ponder their future together. Then when one of her students produces a sketch that is the living image of her dead father, Nina just has to know who this man is. It is into this atmosphere that Lachlan Larkin walks, a distant cousin of her father, the likeness is eerie and very unsettling. Lachlan is embraced into the household as he takes over the task of running the art studio. However Health is not convinced that the man is genuine, and so the two men maintain a wary distance.

As the story unfolds, Hilary, Nina’s mother in her effort to become the rural royalty of the area organises a ball to commemorate early settlers arriving. In her brash and insensitive manner, she manages to displease and insult the local indigenous peoples. However, with Lachlan’s help, the indigenous people manage to have their voices heard.

It is at this stage that I have completely forgotten that this book is written by four different voices. The characters are lively and fresh and the narrative pleasingly coherent. Izzy thinks that Lachlan may be the man for her, but has he got his eyes on a different prize altogether, and what are the unnamed purchases on Nina’s credit card. Hilary has her own secrets and agendas, but is she as tough as she appears? The action accelerates as Heath and Nina struggle to put their relationship first. Will it even last the distance? When Health’s younger brother Ben arrives to help him in his holistic farming work, the stress is lessened somewhat and Izzy and Ben become friends.

I love a good mystery, and although this is a rural romance, there is enough tension and unanswered questions to keep the reader entranced. Why are there two golden lockets with engraving on the inside?

Is there a buried treasure somewhere?

Why is Lachlan so evasive and why are people looking for him?

The Shifting Light is a wonderful collaboration by Alice Campion. It is fast paced and thoroughly engages the reader’s attention. There is a good sense of landscape and place. I liked the inclusion of environmentally sound farming practices and some very realistic Aboriginal characters, lending authenticity to the story. The characters are believable and the plot gallops to its riveting conclusion. This is a great read.

Put your feet up, grab a cuppa and unplug the phone while you dive into the twists and turns of The Shifting Light by Alice Campion, available now from Dymocks. Click here to learn more.