I read the Kindle version of this book. This book requires close reading as it is written as a stream-of-conscious in the narration loops backs and forward as the narrator comes to terms with the deaths of her parents and sister, and estrangement from her brother, her close friends, and her mentor.

The style of writing is easy and free-flowing. It is tempting to start skimming the text because the surface seems so placid. But a closer reading reveals the inner turmoil of the narrator as she navigates and confronts issues from her past and present.

The narrative structure is simple: the narrator goes to her father's house and starts to clean out the house. As she does so, she engages in an imaginary conversion with an interlocutor who represents someone who knows who she is, but is not aware of the intimate details of her life. This device allows for exposition while framing her as a possible unreliable narrator.

I think the author has chosen this device of continuous monologue wisely as it meshes well with the narrator's revealed character, and allows for character development as the narrator continually reframes past events in a way that she is increasingly comfortable with. This reframing of the past propels the plot (or, more accurately, revelation) forward.

Overall, I found this book to be an enjoyable read. As such, I posit that this book will not win the 2024 Miles Franklin Award. The winners in the past few years have left me disgusted with the state of Australian literature, while the rest of the short-listed books left me with hope and pride in other Australian authors.