Shining Agnes

by Sara Banerji

In a once great, now falling, mansion live an aristocratic family: Alice, huge, sad and longing for love; her paralysed mother who is subject to wild and eccentric enthusiasms; and the foster child Agnes, whose desire to be an actress sets in motion a train of bizarre and horrifying events.Then love comes to Alice in the form of beautiful but furtive Vincent who has moved in next door. But does he want Alice for herself or for the treasures that she digs from the rubble of her tumbled home? And how does he view Alice's obsession with compost, the making of which she compares to the growth of spiri-tuality and the purging away of sin? Black comedy lurks beneath the surface of this gloriously imaginative new novel from the author of "Cobweb Walking, The Wedding of Jayanthi Mandel "and "The Tea-Planter's Daughter."

167 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 1, 1990

About the author

Sara Banerji describes her style as ‘mystic realism’ – her stories are peopled with vivid characters, whose lives are shot through with magic as well as very real human emotions. They are recounted with dark humour that can all too easily tip over into horror. Critics describe her voice as ‘original and highly imaginative’ ‘entertaining’, ‘bold’, ‘punchy’, ‘exciting’, ‘gripping, fluid and confident’. She is widely acclaimed as ‘a very gifted storyteller’.

Reviews

[Nikki in Niagara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant! A novel of Catholicism, miracles, apparitions, infidelity, murder and paedophilia The first chapter had me hooked and I read continuously until I had finished. A beautiful story of redemption and faith. A very dark story at times but with an amazing ending that left my heart full of love and happiness for the main character, Alice. I must read this author again! A caveat: however much *I* enjoyed this book, I do realize that some people will find it rather morbid and the themes perhaps off-putting. So not a book for everyone, but certainly my kind of book. Very much looking forward to my next read by Banerji.

[Ann Day · Rating 3 out of 5]

An initially captivating book, full of eccentric characters which is somewhat let down by a weak ending.