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A review by shelleyanderson4127
Dirt Creek by Hayley Scrivenor
dark
mysterious
relaxing
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This is a better than average written piece of Australian crime fiction.
Esther, a 12-year-old school girl, has disappeared. The small, rural community of Durton (or Dirt town, as the town's school children call it) is terrified. Enter Detective Sergeant Sarah Michaels from Sydney, a lesbian cop who specializes in missing children.
I loved the queer sensibility that permeates this story. Main character Ronnie, who is 12, is in love with her best friend Esther and determined to find her. Lewis, an outcast adopted by both Esther and Ronnie, is in love with another boy at school. Esther's single mother has a best friend named Shelly. And Detective Sergeant Michaels seems to be developing feelings for Ronnie's mother.
It's all messy and real and very well-written. I would read this novel about the dark side of small towns just to savor again the words about Lewis's eventual fate. Not everything in the novel works--I found the chapters entitled "We", evidently a Greek chorus of the town's children, confusing-- but this is a rock solid debut. Definitely for Jane Harper fans.
Esther, a 12-year-old school girl, has disappeared. The small, rural community of Durton (or Dirt town, as the town's school children call it) is terrified. Enter Detective Sergeant Sarah Michaels from Sydney, a lesbian cop who specializes in missing children.
I loved the queer sensibility that permeates this story. Main character Ronnie, who is 12, is in love with her best friend Esther and determined to find her. Lewis, an outcast adopted by both Esther and Ronnie, is in love with another boy at school. Esther's single mother has a best friend named Shelly. And Detective Sergeant Michaels seems to be developing feelings for Ronnie's mother.
It's all messy and real and very well-written. I would read this novel about the dark side of small towns just to savor again the words about Lewis's eventual fate. Not everything in the novel works--I found the chapters entitled "We", evidently a Greek chorus of the town's children, confusing-- but this is a rock solid debut. Definitely for Jane Harper fans.