I was drawn to this book as the blurb made it look like a great Aussie crime novel, but was pleasantly surprised to find that it wasn’t what I expected. This is not a story about solving a crime, everyone but the reader knows what has happened, it is how that horrible event has affected those closest to it and the wider community. The nature and details of the crime are slowly revealed to the reader throughout the story – all we know at the beginning is that the incident happened at the local football oval.
Set in the early 1990’s, Beth is returning after 8 months to her home town of Gerandaroo, a small place in rural Victoria where the local football team is all that matters. But the team is on a 12-month hiatus after what happened. On a night out with her friend Beth is dared to start up a women’s team and play against the local rivals Denby. Does Gerandaroo even have enough women wanting (and able) to play and form a team? Can the community get behind the team? There is opposition of course – women can’t play AFL – and the incident is still fresh in eveyone’s mind, but as the team gathers players of all ages and begins to train support grows. If you love your AFL, like me, you will appreciate the play-by-play commentary of the eventual game.
I really enjoyed this different spin on the Aussie crime novel, one where the focus is on the rippling effect of the crime, how people deal (or not) with the crime and ultimately can begin to heal. It highlighted the power of sport and how it can bring a community together.
-Cynthia, RRL
