Debbie Terranova's Blog

The Truth About My Daughter by Jo Skinner

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


‘The Truth about my Daughter’ might be a debut novel but its author, Jo Skinner, is no novice to writing. Indeed, she has written, published, and received awards for dozens of articles, short stories, and pieces of non-fiction. She also produces a fascinating monthly newsletter about three of her passions: writing, long-distance running, and medical matters (yes, she is also a GP).
‘The Truth about my Daughter’ is a tale about relationships and family ties: the good, the bad, the ugly. Through well-rounded characters, she exposes secrets that would otherwise never see the light of day beyond the family circle. Secrets about control, reward, punishment, desire, disappointment, failure, compassion. Much centres on the strained relationship between two sisters—Fin and George—and the difficult relationship with their parents. The overbearing, controlling father dreams big but delivers little, while the long-suffering mother cannot bring herself to question her husband’s wishes and motives.
There is a lot here to unpack. As adults, we have all experienced or witnessed these things. While the writing is easy to read, certain aspects of the narrative are difficult to process or may trigger strong emotional reactions.
For me, segments set in the COVID era are gut-wrenching. Like central character, Fin, I was shut out of the hospital when my husband was admitted suffering a life-threatening disease. Thankfully, he survived. While my son was locked down in Manhattan in 2020, I watched the TV footage in horror as body-bags containing victims were moved out of NYC hospitals. He survived too. My recent reading of ‘The Truth about my Daughter’ coincided with my own battle with COVID, the second in as many years. Fortunately, I was also a survivor.
Overall this engaging narrative, set in and around Brisbane, runs at a brisk pace throughout. Plenty of twists and turns keep you guessing; many moments resonate with personal experiences. Best of all is the unexpected but satisfying twist at the end. Highly recommended.




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The Photograph by Diane Clarke

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


‘The Photograph’ is a heartwarming novel about a woman’s quest to uncover the truth about her family. Caryl has vague memories of a brother: a boy with no name. Does he exist, or is he a figment of a childhood imagination?

The backstory begins in Britain in 1939 after the onset of WWII and, with it, preparations for an invasion by Nazi Germany. Aged just three, Caryl is one of thousands of youngsters who are evacuated from London and other cities in the interests of safety. With no choice in the matter, the children are placed in the care of complete strangers. Some get loving families. Others are neglected, abused, or forced to work without pay.

Caryl is one of the lucky ones. Or so she thinks until, later in life, she begins to question. Back then, her mother dies unexpectedly and Gwen, the woman who has taken them in, becomes her adoptive mother. No mention is ever made of a sibling. Years pass. Gwen becomes elderly and infirm, and Caryl becomes her carer. One day, while Caryl is rummaging about the house, she unearths a long-lost teddy bear with a vital clue.

Part One, set in 1995, follows Caryl’s extensive efforts to find the answers she craves. Alas, her enquiries come to naught.

Part Two, set in 2020, centres on Caryl’s daughter, Megan, who is intrigued by her mother’s stories. The fallout from Brexit is biting the economy and a pandemic is gripping the world. Megan accepts a position in a charity for former WWII child evacuees. At her fingertips are dozens of archive boxes containing papers from those dreadful years. Can she find what she’s looking for?

This gently-written novel – Diane Clarke’s debut – will whet your appetite for exploring your own family history. All families have skeletons in the closet; there is so much to discover if you take time and have patience.

In addition to the dry gullies and discoveries that make up this story, there are a cast of well-rounded characters, a compelling narrative, webs of secrets and lies, a trail as elusive as a ghost in the mist. Altogether, a satisfying read with a satisfying end. Highly recommended.

I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.



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Everyone and Everything by Nadine J. Cohen

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This story about healing hooked me from the start and kept me reading right to the end. When a series of personal tragedies and a disposition toward ‘melancholia’ collide, writer Yael Silver hits rock bottom. Yes, this sounds like a rather grim proposition, but it is a tale of friendship and support, and baby steps toward recovery. Easy to read, believable characters, situations that everyone will identify with, and peppered with dark humour.

A great pick from one of the tiny community libraries in my Brisbane suburb. I love that books can be shared within our community for free. What do you do with your once-read books? Personally I’m tired of watching them deteriorate and grow furry with dust on my bookshelves. My 2024 New-Year’s resolution: read, enjoy, and share.



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Incandescence by Tracey-Anne Forbes

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Intrigued by the back-cover blurb, which suggests a fast-paced crime thriller, I was (pleasantly) surprised to delve into a tale that is literary rather than pulp fiction. The settings are exotic and lush: a twelfth-century castle in the Massif Central of France, the snaking roads around the east coast of Spain, romantic Paris.

The story is classic ‘road-trip’: a clapped-out campervan with two young Australian women (and a baby), tracking down their target in an attempt to wreak justice. It is a bitterly-cold Christmas in the early 1990s, before the establishment of the EU, before the introduction of a common European currency, before mobile phones and satnavs. Most of the camping places are closed. Travelling with a young baby has its difficulties. There are many obstacles along the way, and also a touch of romance.

But, be warned, this is no half-baked ‘who-dunnit’ that you can rip through in a few hours. The narrative unfolds in its own sweet time. ‘Incandescence’ is a slow-burn read, laced with 90s nostalgia and a satisfying resolution.



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Novelist as a Vocation by Haruki Murakami

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


As a writer myself, I just love reading how others tackle their craft. I must admit this borders on voyeuristic, like thumbing through a personal diary. For me, writing is done in private, in my own time and space. In my studio, when I get together with my imaginary friends, we do all kinds of wondrous things. And the best part is we never know what might happen next.
What struck a chord in this book is that my ‘go with the flow’ method is similar to Murakami’s. He writes: ‘No matter how long the novel is, or how complex its structure, I will have composed it without any fixed outline, not knowing how it will unfold or end, letting things take their course and improvising as I go along.’
This, of course, is written about the first draft. Then come the rewrites: first, second, third, and possibly fourth. This is where the novelist tidies up the narrative, the timeline, the characters and fixes inconsistencies so that ‘the story flows smoothly and naturally’.
The other revelation is that Murakami does not write for a specific audience. He states: ‘I have no clear mental image of my readership’. Some people enjoy what he writes and become followers, while others are less kind. In Murakami’s words: ‘no matter what or how I write, somebody’s going to say something bad about it’. You can’t please everyone but you can please yourself, he concludes.
‘Novelist as a Vocation’ is neither a story nor a how-to manual, but rather a series of essays about the writing of novels, as experienced by one of Japan’s best-known contemporary writers. Written with humility (apologetic even), the book is a collection of insights, tips, and anecdotes about life and writing. The English version was published in 2022.



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Dispatch from Berlin, 1943: The story of five journalists who risked everything by Anthony Cooper

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


A gripping true account of the bombing of Berlin in WWII, told from multiple perspectives. Primarily, ‘Dispatch from Berlin, 1943’ reveals the fate of five war journalists who risked everything to report, first-hand, a RAF bombing raid on ‘the Big City’. King and Stockton are Australian war correspondents; Murrow (a broadcast journalist) and Bennett (a book author) are American; and Grieg, a Norwegian, is described as a poet and ‘patriotic icon’ of his country.
Each of the ‘lucky five’ is allocated an observational spot on a Lancaster bomber for the raid on 2 December 1943. As it turns out, the mission meets with limited success. Some of the bombers fly off-course and miss their target; many are shot down. Three of the journalists’ planes are lost; only two journalists return unscathed to England.
One of the journalists is captured by the Nazis. When they learn that he is not an airman but a reporter, he is given a ‘propaganda tour’ of destroyed German cities: Berlin, Hamburg, Bremen, Essen. He learns that, despite hundreds of RAF bombing raids, munitions factories continue to operate, while residential buildings have been reduced to smoking ruins.
As a frequent visitor to modern Berlin, I found the book is especially fascinating. Not only are the tribulations of the journalists revealed, but also the fate of Berlin civilians on the ground. Many of the bombed sites remain. Some have been repaired or rebuilt; others are in their war-damaged state, a poignant memorial to the horror of war.
Highly recommended reading for war buffs and writers of WWII historical fiction.



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After the Smoke Clears by Kylie Kaden

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


‘After the Smoke Clears’ is tale about the attraction of opposites, of finding goodness in those we love, of the tight-guarded secrets of small towns, of crime and redemption, of overcoming a difficult past. The narrative follows the travails of two lovers, Lotti (a teacher) and Augie (a mechanic), in alternating chapters that span two timelines that are twenty years apart.
Be warned: not all the characters are likeable, though thankfully some are. Otto, a six-year-old with a hearing disability, is wiser than most of the adults. Some are tough-talking diamonds-in-the-rough, hardened by life or circumstance, but beneath the surface they shine. Others are rotten to the core.
There is a lot packed into this dark and gritty but compelling story. What makes this novel stand out is the confident touch of a skilled author. Kylie Kayden is surely the queen of domestic noir.



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The Proxy Bride by Zoe Boccabella
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is the third of Zoe Boccabella’s books that I have read, and the one that I enjoyed the most. Her other two are non-fiction/memoir, whereas ‘The Proxy Bride’ is WWII historical fiction, interwoven with a nostalgic trip back to 1984 with Sofie’s story.
It is a must-read tale about the harsh realities faced by pre-war Italian migrants, both men and women. While Boccabella’s focus is on the experiences of women who put their faith in a letter and a photo, I would imagine that, for a man, making a life-long commitment to support a stranger would have been equally daunting.
The novel is well-written and evocative of both eras. However, it is the WWII timeline that is of more interest to me. Gia’s story shows the fear, violence, racism, and hardships that were endured by migrants at that time. Italian men in their thousands were arrested and interned, leaving the women to fend for themselves. The women in this story found ways to manage and survived, however secrecy and shame were their constant companions.
In summary, ‘The Proxy Bride’ is a fascinating read which reveals much about Australia and Australians at war. It is also a novel that makes you think. What would happen if history were to repeat? Would we treat migrants from enemy countries any differently? What lessons have we learnt from the past?

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The Tolstoy Estate by Steven Conte

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This is one WWII historical novel that deserves attention. Thoroughly researched, beautifully written, and with a cast of interesting but flawed characters, Conte masters the ‘feel’ of a bitter conflict during the perishing winter of 1941.
The compelling story is told from the perspective of Paul Bauer, a surgeon and an officer of the Wehrmacht, who is sent to serve at the ill-fated eastern front. When his 3rd Panzer Division stumbles across the estate of literary giant, Leo Tolstoy, they claim it for a hospital. ‘Yasnaya Polyana’ is something of a Russian national shrine, which provides them with some protection from Red Army artillery fire. But the comfortable accommodation comes with strings attached, in particular a firebrand custodian and, quite possibly, a ghost.
Highly recommended.



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Devotion by Hannah Kent.

My rating: 4 of 5 stars.

More than anything, I love the way Hannah Kent writes. Her use of language is inventive, perceptive, lush, evocative. Somehow she worms her way inside you, the reader, so that you are absorbed into the narrative, into the scene. Her descriptions are to die for. ‘The sea was flat and it mirrored the sky’s glory, bringing the lights down to the horizon so that it seemed the ship was suspended in stars’ (p229). Yes, the pace dragged at times, in particular the wretchedly long and torturous voyage, and some scenes that relied on magical realism went just a bit too far. Overall, however, it was her writing that triumphed.