Tracing Iris

by Genni Gunn

Commonwealth Prize nominee Genni Gunn has penned an ingenious psychological novel, placing at its dark centre a flawed but redeemable heroine, Kate Mason, a thirty-something social anthropologist returning to the emotional crime scene she reluctantly calls home. While Kate mercilessly unearths the remnants of a life littered with evidence of abandonment, lies and loss, she also unravels the coil that binds her to Iris, the mother she never knew. Iris’ haunting disappearance lurks on the periphery of strained relations with Joe, Kate’s taciturn father; Rose, her benevolent aunt; Angie, her childhood girlfriend; and Ray, her not-so-estranged ex. Like the endangered cultures she researches, Kate faces extinction through contact with poisonous knowledge and must weigh the price of truth or risk annihilation at the hands of those she so desperately wants to trust.

284 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 1, 2003

About the author

Author of six works of fiction (3 novels and 3 short story collections), 1 book of creative nonfiction, 2 books of poetry, 3 collections of poetry translated from Italian, and an opera libretto -- the opera (music by John Oliver) was produced by Chants Libres in Montreal, 2007.

Her work has been translated into Italian, Dutch and Chinese. Her novel Tracing Iris was made into a film The Riverbank. Her last novel, Solitaria was longlisted for the Giller prize and published in Dutch and Italian. Her newest book, Permanent Tourists a collection of short stories, came out in October 2020.

Reviews

[Virna · Rating 1 out of 5]

This story and characters are bland and predictable, no motive for the main villain. The heroine is portrayed poorly. The end lack luster.