On the front cover of Wendy Orr’s new novel, we are advised: ‘This [book] is a treat for fans of Tyler, Wesley and Trollope.’ Apart from any predisposed posed feelings you may have for the work of Anne Tyler, Mary Wesley and Joanna Trollope, this small sentence is a useful positioning statement for the potential reader.
We are in the realm of books as a treat, where reading is an indulgent pleasure and readers are devotees of books that are commonly identified as ‘domestic fiction’. From what I can gather, the hallmarks of domestic fiction are stories, primarily written by women, with a focus on relationships and families, in a ‘highly readable’ style that features ‘acute and perceptive observations’, ‘warmth’, ‘sensitivity’ and ‘humour’; in short, the literary equivalent of SeaChange.
The House at Evelyn's Pond by Wendy Orr
Allen & Unwin, $24.95 pb, 312 pp
ABR receives a commission on items purchased through this link. All ABR reviews are fully independent.
If you are an ABR subscriber, you will need to sign in to post a comment.
If you have forgotten your sign in details, or if you receive an error message when trying to submit your comment, please email your comment (and the name of the article to which it relates) to ABR Comments. We will review your comment and, subject to approval, we will post it under your name.
Please note that all comments must be approved by ABR and comply with our Terms & Conditions.