Forster’s debut novel is a powerful and emotional work that begins with the funeral of Emmett, the main protagonist. A devoted alcoholic and abusive father and husband, Emmett loves words and more than anything wants his children to be successful and well educated. A moody man who erupts at the slightest annoyance to his routine life, the five children tiptoe around him so as not to set him off and soon learn the meaning of the word ‘hedge’ as they hide in these at the end of the street when their dad is raving. While not an original premise for a novel, Foster has written an emotional tale of domestic violence with simple yet engaging language. Set in the western suburbs of Melbourne, where Forster grew up, the novel traces the complex relationships between brothers and sisters and the love and pain that evolves between them in this house of violence. The novel follows the progression of Emmett’s life through to dementia and the calming emotion this brings to the family. It follows the effects that living in an abusive household has on the children as they leave the home and begin to start families and relationships of their own. The effects this man has on each of their lives are massive in scale and dynamic. A tragic book in so many ways, this is a great debut novel with haunting characters and an intensity that will move readers.
