Whipbird (Robert Drewe, Viking)

What better set-up than a huge family gathering to dissect attitudes, skewer pretensions and tell lots of stories? On a hot November weekend at his newly acquired vineyard near Ballarat, barrister Hugh Cleary is hosting a family reunion to celebrate 160 years since his ancestor Conor Cleary arrived in Australia. Among the attendees is his notorious rock-star brother Simon/Sly, who thinks he’s dead and is playing host to Conor’s ghost; sister Thea, a doctor with a family-health revelation; their father Mick, a die-hard Richmond fan still nursing a grudge about being made redundant years ago; cousin Doug, who was part of the team that sacked Mick; and cousin Ryan, Catholic priest/ex-Afghanistan forces padre with a secret crush. Then there’s the strangely familiar teenager, tattooed and disruptive, who in a Puck-like way spreads mischief and spite wherever he goes. With such a vast number of characters to choose from, Robert Drewe has sly fun commenting on family, society and history. While the book feels a little stretched with so many characters, and occasionally veers towards stereotype, this is nonetheless an entertaining read. The family dynamics lead to many humorous set pieces, and Drewe’s descriptive powers perfectly capture the landscape.

Lindy Jones is a senior buyer and bookseller at Abbey’s Bookshop, Sydney

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