Full of surprises, wonderful insight, humour, a poignant country side, a flowing memorable narrative and rich likeable characters, this novel has it all!

Tracking North

In a place this remote, anything can happen…

Kerry McGinnis

Penguin Books Australia

Michael Joseph

ISBN: 9781921901478

Description:

‘Vividly transports you to the Gulf Country . . . settle in for a really enjoyable read.’ Susan Duncan, bestselling author of Salvation Creek

Kelly Roberts finds refuge in the rugged and remote cattle country of northern Australia, but when tragedy strikes she is forced to find a new life for herself and her children outside of Rainsford Station.

She retreats to the family’s only asset – a freehold block of land owned jointly by her eccentric father-in-law, Quinn. In the valley at Evergreen Springs, Quinn hopes the fractured family might all come together to start over again.

Life in Queensland’s far north is wildly unpredictable, with daily challenges and the wet season, in all its wild majesty, to survive. But when twelve-year-old Rob makes the gruesome discovery of a dead body in the valley, real peril comes far too close to home.

Tracking North is a beautiful family story about life in the stunning Gulf Country, one of the world’s most unique and fascinating places.

My View:

I was both surprised and delighted by this novel – the settings are superb; McGinnis writes with a  rich colourful palette bringing to life the rugged rural lifestyle of cattle country in Australia’s north, portraying the hardships, the isolation, the Wet Season and the stamina and strength of  the women living and working in these remote regions. The women in this novel are the true heroes; supporting their families, educating their children (with the aid of the School of the Air), living in isolated communities, working on the station and dealing with the change that is modern farming. Tracking North is a fitting tribute to all women who have worked/work now in the bush/on the farm.

But Tracking North is more than just a story with beautiful settings and heroic women; it is a narrative that is written with passion and love, the words flow, unable to be constrained by the mere page, blossoming with wit, humour and such wonderful insight about love, life, family relationships and growing up.  I have never come across a contemporary work of fiction that has had me itching to turn the page, reading till early hours of the morning…such is the power of this narrative; engaging and mesmerising.

McGinnis has a great command of language and is able to make her characters and their conversations step of the page onto the stage.

I particularly enjoyed the old canny grandfather, Quinn; full of quiet wisdom, with a wonderful sense of humour and with the powerful motivation of seeking redemption, he transforms this narrative into more than a rural romance.

This novel is a delight to read. And I just loved the cover art!