Simon is a middle-class young man who dreams of adventure and discovering the real, authentic Australia. He’s lived his life in comfortable suburbia and he wants to see the world as it is, outside of his privileged bubble. So he’s taken himself on a road trip, just him, driving across the outback. In a bar one night he meets Maggie, a young woman with secrets and a backpack full of cash. What she’s running from, or where she’s running to, is a mystery. Simon’s brain knows he should just walk away, but she’s attractive and his heart (or perhaps another part of his anatomy) stops him from doing so and he invites her along.
They end up in a remote township (was it an accident? did Maggie lure Simon there?) and it is here that the novel takes a dark turn. I won’t give too much away, but this book has been compared to the horror films Wolf Creek and The Hills Have Eyes, so you kinda see where it’s going.
This is a novel told on two timelines which cross over somewhat. There’s before things go bad (the build-up), and then the after. In the latter, the survivors end up at a gas station run by Frank, a man with a past that might just rival Maggie’s. This is also a novel that’s demarcated almost straight down the fifty per cent mark. The first fifty-per cent of the novel is a slow, inexorable build-up of tension. This is achieved in both timelines, the before being the build-up, the after being the survivors at the gas station preparing for the final onslaught. Then at the fifty per cent mark, the author takes his foot off the brake in both timelines and utter mayhem ensues.
This is a brilliant, brilliant novel. It’s expertly plotted and crafted, while the characters have a real heft. In particular, Maggie, who’s akin to a female Rambo. Again, I’m wary of giving away spoilers, but this is one woman the bad guys will wish they had never crossed.
I’m going to end this review before I give too much away, but I can’t recommend this book enough. If you like horror or thrillers, if you like a heroine who could give Mad Max a run for his money, then this books is for you.
5 out of 5 stars
Reading a book is the best way to spend time. Almost every people likes to read books. But publishing a book is not so easy. The author of the book have to choose the right publishing method to publish the book.
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