The White Earth (Andrew McGahan)

This novel won some sort of award, which is why I picked it up in the first place. However, I just Googled it, and can't figure out what award it was. Ah, there we go - shortlisted for the Miles Franklin Award, and it won the Commonwealth Writers' Prize.

McGahan describes the book as being about political paranoia, and the Australian rural landscape. It evokes that atmosphere very well, and there's an undercurrent of tension and horror throughout the entire piece. I put it down and for the next couple of days I kept imagining I had an ear ache, and worrying about it - if you read the book, you'll understand why.

The main character is nine year old William, who after his father's death, goes with his mother to live with his mysterious great-uncle John. William is drawn into John's confidence, and slowly throughout the book he discovers more about the land his mother wishes him to inherit, and the dark history of his family.

This is a very Australian book - the atmosphere and the setting are very firmly Australian, and it was interesting to read a horror story that was so Australian, rather than the usual sagas that get characterised as such. An excellent book.