A Common Loss

by Kirsten Tranter

From the critically acclaimed author of The Legacy comes a riveting new novel about a group of friends whose longtime tensions and rivalries are suddenly exposed after one of them dies suddenly.

A WASHINGTON SQUARE PRESS P APERBACK ORIGINAL THEY WERE ORIGINALLY FIVE.

Elliot. Brian. Tallis. Cameron. And Dylan—charismatic Dylan—the mediator, the man each one turned to in a time of crisis. Five close friends, bonded in college, still coming together for their annual trip to Las Vegas. This year they are four. Four friends, sharing a common Dylan’s tragic death. A common loss that, upon their arrival in Vegas, will bring with it a common one that will make them question who their departed friend really was, and whether he was ever worthy of their grief.

“Brimming with blackmail and deception” and “laced with simmering emotional tension” ( Australian Bookseller & Publisher ), A Common Loss is a hypnotic tale from an exciting new voice in literary fiction.

Genres: Fiction, Literary Fiction, Contemporary

334 pages, Paperback

First published July 26, 2011

About the author

Kirsten grew up in Sydney and studied English and Fine Arts at the University of Sydney. She lived in New York between 1998 and 2006, where she completed a PhD in English on Renaissance poetry at Rutgers University. She now lives in Sydney with her husband and son.

Kirsten’s first novel, The Legacy, was published to international critical acclaim in 2010. The Legacy was shortlisted for the ABIA Literary Fiction award, the ALS Gold Medal, and longlisted for the Miles Franklin award. Her second novel, A Common Loss, will appear in 2012.

Kirsten has published poetry, fiction, literary criticism, and articles on contemporary fiction. The Legacy was completed with the assistance of an Emerging Writer’s Grant from the Literature Board of the Australia Council for the Arts. Kirsten has also been awarded support from the Cultural Fund of the Copyright Agency Limited. Kirsten is one of the founders of the new award for Australian women’s writing, The Stella Prize, and the discussion series and blog When Genres Attack!

You can read an interview in Readings Newsletter here, and Miram Cosic’s profile piece on Kirsten in The Australian here.

Follow Kirsten on Twitter @ktranter

Reviews

[Blair · Rating 4 out of 5]

At the beginning of chapter two of A Common Loss, Kirsten Tranter writes: This isn't going to be one of those stories about a suburban boy seduced into a picturesque world of wealth and charm by a group of high-class eccentrics. And I think, 'damn, why the hell not?!'

Kirsten Tranter's excellent debut, The Legacy, was very much one of those stories, or at least in the tradition of that kind of story, enough that I drew comparisons with both Brideshead Revisited and The Secret History when writing my review of it. (It still bothers me that I didn't give The Legacy five stars - when I think of how it stands out in my memory, and how the other four-star books I've read since compare to it, it certainly deserves them, but I believe in letting reviews stand as they are. If I ever re-read it, the rating will most likely go up.) With A Common Loss she makes departure from the themes of her debut, with a story that's also about a group of close-knit friends, but with a dramatically different feel.

Elliot, Brian, Tallis, Cameron and Dylan became good friends at university and have remained close ever since, although their bonds have started to break down over the years: two of the group barely even speak anymore. Still, all of them feel duty-bound to take a yearly trip to Las Vegas, a holiday without girlfriends or other friends that's become something of a tradition. When Dylan dies in a car accident, the need for this trip is stronger than ever, even as the others fear they've lost the glue that held them together. However, it soon becomes apparent that Dylan was harbouring many secrets, both about his own past and about bad things - from the minor to the potentially life-ruining - his friends had done at various points during their acquaintance.

You know how people will sometimes describe a book as being a 'love letter' to the city, town etc it's set in? Well, A Common Loss is an anti-love letter to Las Vegas. It emphasises everything that's sleazy, dirty, cheap and fake about the place. On top of that, every single one of the characters is horrible, from the Nice Guy™ narrator Elliot, to stereotypical womaniser Tallis, to Natasha, Elliot's featureless and offhand love interest. This is not always an easy read, since it's hard to summon any sympathy for the main characters and the antagonist is equally hateful. But A Common Loss isn't really the mystery it presents itself as. It's not about the secrets the friends are trying to hide - not really about what those secrets actually are, anyway - or the question of Dylan's honesty, or the consequences of the group being blackmailed. It's about loss, reality versus artifice, the routine disappointments of life, how relationships are formed, how much we really (don't) know about those close to us, and ultimately, most of all, the disintegration of friendships. The little incidents that slip between the lines and appear irrelevant to the major plot points are far more important than anything else.

I must admit that the themes of this book, and the unpleasant characters, were a bit of a disappointment to me after The Legacy, but the more I think about A Common Loss, the more I love it. While I didn't enjoy reading it as much as I did Tranter's debut, it's a more complex and nuanced work. The language is clear and lucid: the devil is in the detail with this story, and the detail is beautifully rendered. A melancholy, contemplative story that won't be to everyone's taste, this book confirmed my belief in the author's talent and her very distinctive voice.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Five men who meet up year after year to reclaim their university friendship, despite the different paths they have taken in life. But this year is different, because Dylan, the heart of their group and the one who united them all, is dead. What happens next causes them to question everything about their friendship.

I love this kind of book: a set of friends, a somewhat unreliable narrator, and a narrative that gradually peels back the layers of deception until we get to the truth. Tranter's writing is beautiful and assured, while always letting the story speak for itself.

My only criticism (and this is possibly because I read the book so quickly - it's compelling and very hard to put down) is that I wanted more: more truth, more resolution, more Dylan. Well, more of all of the characters, really. They all, even Elliot, our outsider-narrator, felt elusive and a little frustrating. By the end, despite being caught up emotionally in the story, I didn't really feel I understood enough about what had happened. I can see that it was never going to be the kind of book that tied things up neatly. But it didn't stop me wanting more.

[Carolyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

The death of a friend is ‘a common loss’. However, what we may discover about our friends after their deaths may be unusual and potentially devastating. Five men, friends from college days, meet annually in Las Vegas. However, in the past year one of them, Dylan, has been killed. In her understated prose, Tranter explores the nature of friendship, loyalty and trust. A thoughtful read but I don’t think it will be memorable.

[Ella Beckman Brown · Rating 1 out of 5]

Honestly, I don’t really feel as though there was a point to this story. I kept thinking there was going to be more to the story line and I was sorely disappointed. It took a lot out of me to finish, but I was relieved when I did.

[Lizzy Chandler · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautifully written study of friendship and its many betrayals.

[Cindy Noy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Really really boring. Got halfway through and had to give up. I hate giving up on books...

[Jodi · Rating 1 out of 5]

After making it through about 60 painfully boring pages, I finally made the decision to give up & close this one for good. My recommendation? Don't bother to buy this & waste your money.

[Alyssa · Rating 1 out of 5]

Had to give 1 star to write a review to remind myself not to read this book or recommend. In college, there’d be times I was rambling on writing papers; reading back made no sense and I would have to edit the whole thing. This book makes me feel like she was in that same boat, but just published a book and didn’t read it back...

I can normally get into even the most boring stories somehow.. omg this dragged on.. couldn’t finish it. Tried skipping the long portions to see if that would help, nope. I really tried for this book, couldn’t finish the last 100 pages. Absolutely no idea what is going on in the story or where the writer is even trying to go..

[Savirra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Had mixed feelings while reading this - it was refreshing to see how the remaining 4 friends trying to maintain their friendship, but the conflict resulted from everyone’s secret appeared to be so awkward and not powerful enough to play my emotion. I was hoping something stronger coming out of it, as it was written beautifully.

[Ilana · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was right into this book but it ran out of steam toward the end so three stars

[Sam Woodfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

'A Common Loss' kept me gripped not because it's a thrilling tales full of twists and turns, but purely because of the way it's written.
The story follows 4 friends on their first trip to Las Vegas following the death of the fifth of their group, Dylan. The group suspect that the trip will be one of reminiscing about times gone by, but a series of unexpected revelations has them remebering those things they really wanted to forget, and questioning their friendships with one another. It's not a trip they will forget in a hurry and is one they may not get through in one piece.
The story is told from the perspective of Elliot, one of the group who has just embarked on a professorship at a university of New York. His voice is one of reason and confusion as he discusses the events of the trip. Upon arriving in the city, each member of the party has a forgotten secret revealed, and it the flashbacks to college which Elliot provides which create the context and the interest in this novel. The story itself doesn't have the dramatic twists and turns that you might expect at the start of the novel, but Tranter's use of the single voice and various time periods creates a story that flows well and keeps the readers interest throughout.
The Vegas setting was also brilliantly described. The heat, the attractions and life outside The Strip are all described with such ease that it really places you in the place. Having recently visited Vegas, I could see and experience everything Tranter described, and even the little details missed were easily imagined based upon the information given.
But for me, it was the relationships within the group that were the most intriguing. 5 college friends whose only connection is that they attended college together. Is that really a foundation for a lasting friendship? This is something that Elliot questions throughout the book, and as the various revelations about the friends emerge, these friendships are questioned, along with the interactions and motivations of those within the group. The questions asked are those that I'm sure we have all asked - what makes our friends our friends?, would we make the same choices again? what would happen if a pivotal member of the group were no longer there?, what is it that holds our group together. Tranter explores these relationships brilliantly, and Elliots voice is again that which articulates the complexities of the group so well.
For me, the only thing lacking in this novel was revelation. Although some of the secrets were sensitive, none were so mind blowing that I really believed they were capable of having the effect they did. For example, the novel starts with a minor car crash - no major injuries, no deaths - where another driver says they were driving. Now I'm not condoning this action at all, but I didnt think it would be something the group would keep locked up, hidden and undiscussed to the extent it was portrayed in the novel, and so I was slightly disappointed with the lack of imagination in some regards, although, in many ways the revelations were so normal it made the story more believeable so maybe that is why Tranter has taken the angle she did.
Either way, overall this was a good interesting read, which kept me engaged throughout and was easy to follow. With fabulous settings and interesting characters, this was a novel I would recommend to others who like any genre as it doesn't follow the normal rules.

[Steve lovell · Rating 4 out of 5]

‘The Slap’ was a toxic book with toxic characters in, mostly, toxic relationships. The fact that a reader could feel nothing but contempt for its protagonists did not mean that it wasn’t a compulsively addictive journey for many – even if it probably turned off an equal number. Australian writer Tranter has produced a similarly toxic book – if you like ‘The Slap’ without the slap, it being replaced by a death as the fulcrum event. It marks a writer that she/he can hold the reader where little goodness emanates from any of their creations.

This is an American novel in American locales with what one hopes could only be American leading men, although the suspicion is that these could be everyman in similar circumstances. Five friends, who seemingly do not particularly like each other anymore (two can’t even bring themselves to speak to the other), are drawn to make a ‘pilgrimage’ each year to Las Vegas to try and recapture something of their college years through booze, drugs, gambling and the odd easy waitress. None seem to particularly enjoy the experience and when the gelling factor of the operation, Dylan, dies in an accident, he becomes the nub for the remaining four having to work together for the common good – for Dylan was not as he seemed! The novel centres on, one would hope, their final excursion to ‘sin city’, their experiences being relayed to us by one of the ‘mates’, Elliott. Tranter is almost Brookneresque as, through her main man, she ruminates on every detail, feeling and action compellingly. There’s some beautiful writing here, particularly, to this reader, as the narrator minutely, in every way, examines pal Brian’s lady, along on the trip as a ‘research mission’. Elliott has left a half formed relationship with Natasha back in NY, but will he do the dirty on Brian in LV? Actually this reader really wanted to know how the affair with Natasha would work out……………
Las Vegas does not come out of the book particularly shiny at all. The down side of Surfers has nothing on this – here’s that word again – ‘toxic’ place – the book sure would not please the burghers of that city.
Tranter is one smart writer and with this, her second novel, her future would seem assured even if I suspect it polarises in the same way as Tsiolkas’ twenty-first century masterpiece. I suspect, though, it will not have the opportunity to capture the literary heart of the nation in the same way – pity.

[Lisa Walker · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Common Loss is Australian author, Kirsten Tranter’s second novel. Her first, The Legacy, was an assured, fresh retelling of Henry James’s Portrait of a Lady.
A Common Loss tells the story of five friends who meet at university and keep in touch over the next ten years. Following the death of one of their number, Dylan, the friends re-group for their annual visit to Las Vegas.
The story starts with the narrator, Elliot, remembering a car accident the five had together. The driver, Cameron, swerves to avoid a deer and they crash. Cameron has been drinking, so Dylan claims to be the driver. As the years go by, whenever Elliot remembers the crash, it is Dylan who he sees at the wheel. This trick of the memory becomes a motif for the story.
Elliot, a professor of literature, sees himself as a bit of an outsider in the group. With Dylan, who Elliot idealised, removed, tensions rise and relationships buckle under strain. Elliot discovers that not all of his friends viewed Dylan the same way he did. Dylan’s death sets events in train where each friend is forced to reveal long-hidden secrets.
The first part of the book seems a little slow, as Elliott comes to terms with Dylan’s death. Passages of introspection set the scene; ‘I felt strangely paralysed in that way that you feel in dreams sometimes, wanting to move and yet unable to take a step. Was this another symptom of grief, I wondered, catalogued and tagged somewhere?’
However, once the friends gather in Vegas it gets on quite a roll. I enjoyed the observations on Vegas – how it all seemed like a stage set, changing rapidly from glitter and glitz to ‘desperation and emptiness’. ‘Backstage should be hidden with a curtain or a door from the audience, surely; it shouldn’t be so – well, just so easy to see all the crap and falling-apart stuff out the back,’ Elliot observes.
Essentially a psychological suspense novel, the narrative drive comes from waiting to see how the friendships will react to pressure. Tranter’s writing is clever and insightful. She digs deep into the undercurrents of friendship, guilt and shame. An enjoyable and thought-provoking read.

[Monique · Rating 3 out of 5]

Aw man, I was all set to give this book a solid four star as the writing was brilliant, the sense of anticipation was there and each character had their reasons for liking and disliking them and I was all in for this story of four friends coming together to celebrate after loosing one of their friends, the self appointed charismatic leader of their group but felt it fell flat somewhere near the end and I struggled to finish it, oh no..There were aspects of this intelligently written book that reminded me of smart girl lit like from authors Zadie Smith and Joanne Harris, Alison Weir, and others and for the entire beginning of the book I was hooked until the whole envelope-blackmail plot with the hidden brother came in.. Before the diasastrous ending however I did love how the meeting of friends is built up with stories of their times together and you feel like there is a real group of friends here though oddly the narrator once says that he likes the idea of his college friends that get together yearly better than he likes the friends themselves..Nevertheless this group of different men who graduated almost a decade ago together make a yearly trip just for the guys to Las Vegas and this is the first year they are making it without basically the glue in all of their relationships, the enigmatic and mysterious Dylan who you find has taken all the secrets and bad doings of his friends and passed them on as leverage to his long lost brother whether on purpose or not is kinda vague here but the brother uses this information on long lost infractions of the past to use the men to help him obtain the life his brother Dylan described to him that could be made possible by his friends..I know it was stupid and after I retyped it I realize I like the book without that blackmail plot so much more, it was kinda a disappointment to have the end come out so sloppily but it was good until then..

[Ann-Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got a copy from a very good friend in Sydney and brought it with me back to Sweden to read as a part of the AWW2012 challenge. I didn´t really know what to expect from it since the author was totally unknown to me. I also was a bit reluctant since I rather read australian novels set in Australia.

Well, I picked it up one evening after being bored with a crime novel, and started to read - and became immediately hooked. There was something about her writing and the way she presented the characters and the story to come to the reader. You know something is going to happen, but you don´t know what. I first got the impression that something terrible was about to take place, but as the novel moved on I realized it was more a story of friendship, love and loss than a story of suspense.

I don´t know if you ever experienced the sudden knowledge that a friend very close and dear to you in fact is not as close a friend to you as you thought. This is something of what Elliot is going through. The death of Dylan alters the foundation for their friendship, nothing will ever be the same.

I liked this novel very much- I really wanted to know their secrets.

In a way the novel is a "kammerspiele". Everything circles round the characters and their relationship, the setting doesn´t really matter. The authors choice of Las Vegas just seems to underline how much is false and fake in their friendship.

[Annabel Smith · Rating 2 out of 5]

Set in the USA, this is the story of five friends, who have visited Las Vegas together every year since college, and are now visiting for the first time without the lynchpin of their group, the charismatic Dylan, who has died in an accident.

Though focusing on the trip to Vegas, the novel spends a great deal of time revisiting the friends’ university days together, and in its preoccupation with university life feels somewhat like a rehash of Tranter’s first novel, The Legacy.

The writing is polished but the novel lacks emotional depth. Both past and present events are narrated by the insipid and unconvincing Elliot. I was ten pages into the novel before I realised Elliot was a male character and it came as a shock. As the novel progressed I was struck again and again by the ‘femaleness’ of Elliot’s thoughts and actions, in particular, his analysis of his friendships. In addition, Elliot is supposed to be an American character but the 'voice' to me did not sound American.

Intended as a thriller, the novel’s plot pivots on the idea that Dylan was not quite what he seemed. However, given Elliot’s obsessive dissection of his friendships it seemed utterly implausible to me that Elliot could know so little about his friends, and that the revelations which take place in Vegas could come as such a surprise to him.

Though it was relatively enjoyable to read, ultimately this book felt like its Vegas setting: inauthentic.

[Andrea · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a story of friendship and loss, secrets, intrigue and blackmail.
This book is about five college friends, Dylan the one who holds the group together, the leader dies so only four are left. As the others struggle to come to terms with the loss of their friend they decide to go on a trip to Las Vegas, to carry on the annual tradition of the group, while they are there it comes to light that Dylan held secrets about all of them, these secrets now threaten to destroy their friendships and to break the group apart. Set amongst the glitzy atmosphere of the clubs of Las Vegas, each one of them has to face up to the secrets of the past, and try to plan a way out of their dilemma.
When I first started reading this book, I wasn’t sure that I was going to enjoy it, I found it hard to relate to the characters, and in places found the narrative hard to follow, but there is something very intriguing about this book, which makes you keep reading. I was expecting a big climax at the end of the book, but there really wasn’t any. I came to the end of the book feeling like, it was missing something or that there were more secrets to the story that weren’t revealed.

[Megan · Rating 1 out of 5]

To be fair, I got this book for free and normally I would never have picked it up. It's just not my normal style, a lot like going to see a drama at the movie theatre that has no plot or drama is also not my style. One of the reviews of this book used the words 'sedate pace', which is a perfect description for boring and no real story. The main purpose wasn't so much to explore loss, but rather the main character's over-analysis of his friendships. There did also appear to an underlying story of intrigue and blackmail, but it failed to deliver. Instead, the book is simply a window in to the lives of five men who are not perfect both in the mistakes they've made and their efforts at friendships, told by an over-analytical and distracter narrator.

[Kate · Rating 1 out of 5]

Thumbs down from me. I found the detail Tranter uses distracting and over the top - I know some people like this about her writing style but for me, it just doesn't work. The story lacked the element of suspense I think it needed and there were a few too many coincidences - the result meant the characters were unconvincing.

I did enjoy the Vegas setting - it was appropriate and worked well - clever.

Read my full review here - http://booksaremyfavouriteandbest.wor...

[Rachael McDiarmid · Rating 4 out of 5]

An intelligent, well written and interesting book. Once I started, I was keen to see where it would take me, what it would uncover about relationships, grief, loss and human behaviour. Four friends, originally five, go to Las Vegas for an annual trip. They share the loss of their friend and leader, Dylan, but learn about him and each other on this particular trip. It's perfect for a movie - but read it. Kirsten Tranter has a beautiful way with words. I enjoyed her writing style very much.

[Anne Lynch · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had not read the earlier book, but was completely taken with this story about friendship and how friendships over time can change significantly. It was also interesting looking back on a friendship with a different view of actions/relationships. This book really struck a chord for me. I also loved that it was a woman writing from a male perspective. Will have to get my husband to read to see if he thinks it rings true.

[Melissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

A painfully slow beginning, but the expectation that it would grow to something big kept me reading, only to let me down in the end. Nothing terribly interesting happened, at all. The issue of their dark secrets was tied up far too tidily; it was too simple of an ending, everything was too easy.
Definitely not a book I would recommend.
For my full review, please go to http://tubchairtimes.blogspot.co.uk/2...

[Brenda Kittelty · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first quarter of the book was a little like an inferior The Secret History but it warmed up into its own story as it went along. A good read, engaging and mostly likeable characters. The descriptions of Las Vegas and all its questionable "charms" were gold!

[Wellington City Libraries]

Well constructed. Brilliant opening chapter - very filmic. Impressive that a woman can write so convincingly about male friendship. Well-paced psychological thriller, with an added twist on the very last page. A novel with element of thriller.

[Maria Stringer · Rating 2 out of 5]

A common loss, no more like a loss of several hours that I will never get back. Again, another book that didn't "end" properly. I wish Elliot would have shared with us what he realised at the end! we will never know the real story.

[Merryll · Rating 2 out of 5]

well written prose but story line dwindled then deadline crashed in on author - ending fissled.

[Christianne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fabulous, descriptive writing but I found it hard to connect with the characters. The end doesn't feel like enough closure.

[Lynn Kearney · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a well-worn theme - buddies at school hanging out together when older - but it's deftly handled. Too much of the tedium of Las Vegas in it for me, though.

[Linda Mcbain · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like Donna Tartt's Secret History, compelling story of the sinister ties that bind people. And set largely in Las Vegas, the perfect place for artificial bonds to break.

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite an interesting account on the nature of male group friendships as the narrator is forced to reflect on relationships formed in college several years earlier.