Creative Arts Book of the Week 29/09/14

The Idea of Perfection, by Kate Grenville.  Winner of the Orange Prize for Fiction, 2001.

Students often ask if we have books to read for pleasure.  Well, a summer of sport on TV encouraged me to dip into the University Library’s fiction section.  The Idea of Perfection was the perfect summer read.  At the heart of the novel are two visitors to the small town of Karakarook in New South Wales.  A rather awkward relationship develops between the two central characters, Douglas Cheeseman and Harley Savage, whose past encounters with love have not been easy.  Harley has come to Karakarook to help establish a heritage centre, whilst Douglas is an engineer come to dismantle an old bridge.  I enjoyed the analogies of craft, patchwork and concrete that add depth to the story, as well as an additional photographic fantasy that runs alongside with some of the town’s inhabitants!