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Grace
Some relevant facts about Grace Malloy. Apart from being named after a 100 000-year-old skeleton, she was twenty-nine and for much of the past three years she'd been hiding from an erotomaniac. Physically and emotionally besieged, Grace attempts to claw back from her personal territory by abandoning her inner-city life as a film reviewer and fleeing to the remoteness of the Kimberley - where existence and territory have altogether wider implications. Lying low, working in a wildlife park, she slowly reclaims her sanity. Her only links to the outside world are her father and her stalker. Intricately plotted, breathlessly paced, Grace reflects on the countless varieties of love and the nature of fear. At once intimate and grand in scale, this disquieting and provocatively witty novel reveals the full vigour of an artistic vision in turn poetic and cinematic.
432 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2005
6 people are currently reading
85 people want to read
About the author
Robert Drewe
60 books81 followersRobert Drewe is among Australia’s most loved writers – of novels, memoir and short stories. His iconic Australian books include The Shark Net, The Bodysurfers and Our Sunshine. He is also editor of Black Inc.’s Best Australian Stories annual series. Recently, he has revisited the short story himself, with a masterful new collection, The Rip. Jo Case spoke to him for Readings about storytelling.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
August 21, 2020
Back in the late 1980s, Tom Wolfe, the author of Bonfire of the Vanities, wrote an essay titled "Stalking the Billion-Footed Beast" in which he called for, amongst other things, a return to the big social novel that explored the realities of American life. He wanted American novelists to relate to what was happening in their country, to document and comment on the "big stuff" rather than the small introverted domestic events. It seemed like a reasonable call to arms at the time.
I don't remember there being anything similar here in Australia. Then again I may well have missed it. In any event, recent "commentaries" - essays and reviews - have shown a similar call coming from various voices in the country. On the one hand we have reviewers lamenting the number of literary novels dealing with issues from Australia's history: "get more up to date" they seem to be saying. And on the other hand, we have reviewers such as Melinda Harvey in her review of The Garden Book by Brian Castro (see here), praising the book for being able to look "our nation directly in the face without a single reference to the three 'Rs' - reconciliation, republicanism and refugees." She wants gutsy storytelling that tackles current issues but which doesn't deal with subjects she's sick of - the three Rs. She's not going to be too happy with Grace by Robert Drewe then.
In this novel, Drewe does look the current state of the Australian nation directly in the face, telling a compelling story, and dealing with such diverse subjects as: reconciliation, inner-city versus country divides, eco-tourism, refugees and government immigration policies, the history of human settlement of the Australian continent, soft crime versus hard crime, and commercialization versus conservation. It's a big list.
In her recent review of the novel in "Overland", Lucy Sussex thinks it's too big, that each of the subjects warranted detailed individual treatment. I agree with the second part of that, and, in the hands of a lesser novelist than Drewe, I'd probably agree with the first part as well.
The novel follows Grace Molloy as she flees her job as a film reviewer after becoming the victim of a rather creepy stalker. She ends up in the Kimberley region of Western Australia working as a tour guide in the area and as an attendant at a local wildlife park. During her stay there is a mass break-out from the local immigration detention centre, and one of the escapees comes across Grace out in the bush. She takes him in and helps him escape with the help of a local nunnery. Her father, John Molloy, is a world famous anthropologist who discovered, many years earlier also in the Kimberley, the skeleton of a small girl which he dates as being between 30 and 60 thousand years old. He named the skeleton Grace, the name he was subsequently to give his daughter. At the time of the novel he is still fighting to legitimise his dating of the skeleton and working on the repatriation of the remains to the local indigneous community for re-burial.
Taken blandly like that, the plot of the novel reads like a hodge-podge of current Australian political, scientific and societal issues thrown together haphazardly. Luckily for us the final result is like a fine-tuned recipe, with all the ingredients fitting together seamlessly to form a whole that is satisfying and elegant.
This is an excellent novel. Long, but not too long at 415 pages. The only quibble I might have with it concerns the knot-tieing of the stalker thread, the initial crime that sets the novel's flow in motion and which hangs behind the action with continual menace. Don't get me wrong, the final knot is tied, and tied firmly. But it takes the emotional rather than the action-driven option at the end. If a film is ever made of this novel, I suspect a rather different, more bloody ending will make it on screen. Somewhere in between might be the better path.
I don't remember there being anything similar here in Australia. Then again I may well have missed it. In any event, recent "commentaries" - essays and reviews - have shown a similar call coming from various voices in the country. On the one hand we have reviewers lamenting the number of literary novels dealing with issues from Australia's history: "get more up to date" they seem to be saying. And on the other hand, we have reviewers such as Melinda Harvey in her review of The Garden Book by Brian Castro (see here), praising the book for being able to look "our nation directly in the face without a single reference to the three 'Rs' - reconciliation, republicanism and refugees." She wants gutsy storytelling that tackles current issues but which doesn't deal with subjects she's sick of - the three Rs. She's not going to be too happy with Grace by Robert Drewe then.
In this novel, Drewe does look the current state of the Australian nation directly in the face, telling a compelling story, and dealing with such diverse subjects as: reconciliation, inner-city versus country divides, eco-tourism, refugees and government immigration policies, the history of human settlement of the Australian continent, soft crime versus hard crime, and commercialization versus conservation. It's a big list.
In her recent review of the novel in "Overland", Lucy Sussex thinks it's too big, that each of the subjects warranted detailed individual treatment. I agree with the second part of that, and, in the hands of a lesser novelist than Drewe, I'd probably agree with the first part as well.
The novel follows Grace Molloy as she flees her job as a film reviewer after becoming the victim of a rather creepy stalker. She ends up in the Kimberley region of Western Australia working as a tour guide in the area and as an attendant at a local wildlife park. During her stay there is a mass break-out from the local immigration detention centre, and one of the escapees comes across Grace out in the bush. She takes him in and helps him escape with the help of a local nunnery. Her father, John Molloy, is a world famous anthropologist who discovered, many years earlier also in the Kimberley, the skeleton of a small girl which he dates as being between 30 and 60 thousand years old. He named the skeleton Grace, the name he was subsequently to give his daughter. At the time of the novel he is still fighting to legitimise his dating of the skeleton and working on the repatriation of the remains to the local indigneous community for re-burial.
Taken blandly like that, the plot of the novel reads like a hodge-podge of current Australian political, scientific and societal issues thrown together haphazardly. Luckily for us the final result is like a fine-tuned recipe, with all the ingredients fitting together seamlessly to form a whole that is satisfying and elegant.
This is an excellent novel. Long, but not too long at 415 pages. The only quibble I might have with it concerns the knot-tieing of the stalker thread, the initial crime that sets the novel's flow in motion and which hangs behind the action with continual menace. Don't get me wrong, the final knot is tied, and tied firmly. But it takes the emotional rather than the action-driven option at the end. If a film is ever made of this novel, I suspect a rather different, more bloody ending will make it on screen. Somewhere in between might be the better path.
April 11, 2011
I really did not enjoy this book. It took me forever to read it. Ugh.
To me this book had three story lines going - with nothing really linking them together. It just decided to jump to her dad, and back to her, and then to the random boy.
I felt no satisfaction by any of the stories. And was locking him in that cabinet literal? Was it supposed to be just trying to prove something?
Really. Really. Really. Awful book. 2 Thumbs Down!
To me this book had three story lines going - with nothing really linking them together. It just decided to jump to her dad, and back to her, and then to the random boy.
I felt no satisfaction by any of the stories. And was locking him in that cabinet literal? Was it supposed to be just trying to prove something?
Really. Really. Really. Awful book. 2 Thumbs Down!
August 3, 2013
Anthropology, asylum seekers, a stalker and his stalkee set amidst beautifully candid decriptions of the north west of WA. A fast paced story with plenty of texture. Really enjoyed it.
December 13, 2021
It was OK. Well written by too ambitious, too many story threads that didn't tie together.
Confusing ending with the stalker.
Best chapter was Grace with her parents on Lion Island as their marriage ends, told from Molloy's viewpoint.
Confusing ending with the stalker.
Best chapter was Grace with her parents on Lion Island as their marriage ends, told from Molloy's viewpoint.
September 28, 2014
2009 bookcrossing review...
I really enjoyed this book; it was certainly well worth the wait.
This book is about the woman, Grace, in so much depth. It is about her whole life, seeing how she got her name, growing up with her father and then working as a film reviewer and picking up a completely demented stalker (I strangely got a mental image of a Chris Evans-like guy in appearance). There is also something about illegal immigrints today in Australia (compared to how her father came in and how-when our original Salt End woman came to be in the country).
The stalking part of the story was creepy. What I found particularly distressing was the lack of support she got from anyone apart from her father. Everyone seemed to think that to some extent it was her fault. I was disappointed by the reaction of the staff at the wildlife park - I had somehow been hoping they would have been different.
For me as well, the whole Australia angle was brilliant. As a kind of travel experience this book was great. I would really love to go to Australia one day but I don´t know if I will ever manage it. So the descriptions of the wildlife and landscape and way of life around the Kimberley were really interesting.
On the subject of the wildlife, I do have a question for the Australians. Was he making up the toilet frogs or do they really exist? The only thing I have heard about Australian toilets is the spiders that hide under the rim and bite you on the bum. I have heard a lot of horror stories about spiders incidentally.
Definately have to look out for more of Robert Drewe´s work.
I really enjoyed this book; it was certainly well worth the wait.
This book is about the woman, Grace, in so much depth. It is about her whole life, seeing how she got her name, growing up with her father and then working as a film reviewer and picking up a completely demented stalker (I strangely got a mental image of a Chris Evans-like guy in appearance). There is also something about illegal immigrints today in Australia (compared to how her father came in and how-when our original Salt End woman came to be in the country).
The stalking part of the story was creepy. What I found particularly distressing was the lack of support she got from anyone apart from her father. Everyone seemed to think that to some extent it was her fault. I was disappointed by the reaction of the staff at the wildlife park - I had somehow been hoping they would have been different.
For me as well, the whole Australia angle was brilliant. As a kind of travel experience this book was great. I would really love to go to Australia one day but I don´t know if I will ever manage it. So the descriptions of the wildlife and landscape and way of life around the Kimberley were really interesting.
On the subject of the wildlife, I do have a question for the Australians. Was he making up the toilet frogs or do they really exist? The only thing I have heard about Australian toilets is the spiders that hide under the rim and bite you on the bum. I have heard a lot of horror stories about spiders incidentally.
Definately have to look out for more of Robert Drewe´s work.
November 28, 2013
Another wonderful book from a fabulous Australian author. Grace moves from her inner city life to the Kimberleys for reasons which will be revealed upon reading. Beautiful descriptive writing by Drewe covering issues such as Father - Daughter relationships, stress, asylum seekers, just to name a few. I read this book in a week and can't wait to read more of his work.
December 13, 2021
Drewe is a quality writer and this comes through in Grace. It needed tighter editing . There were several story threads and they were too separate. Grace, the stalker, the wildlife park, the escape from refugee detention and Grace's father, who was the best character.
March 17, 2021
Well written but not a very satisfying story in the end.
January 16, 2018
Really enjoyed this, though the pac of the final few pages seemed very rushed.
Also, help me out by sharing your thoughts - was Carl dead already in the cabinet?
Also, help me out by sharing your thoughts - was Carl dead already in the cabinet?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 20, 2024
Good read but a little anticlimactic
April 4, 2021
I devoured the first half of the book. The main character, Grace, her work and her intellectualism drew me into the novel quickly. The stalker was genuinely creepy. I enjoyed the setting in the Kimberleys - the ecological aspects, the description of the wildlife of that region, as well as the story of the new job / the new life Grace tries to build there. Her father’s story was also very interesting, and I loved the anthropological information, including the discussion about aboriginal rights vs. scientific discovery.
However, when yet another character, the young refugee, is introduced, I felt the narrative is getting too crammed. The original stalker story is sidelined, and the novel becomes too busy trying to be politically correct. The crocodiles, for example, remain mere props; unfortunately, they never get to play any significant role. (I was hoping the stalker would end up as croc food.) Moreover, the resolution is not very convincing.
This is an ambitious, multi-layered novel whose themes are refuge vs. sense of belonging, human migration vs. immigration politics, city vs. wilderness, conservation vs. progress, primeval vs. modern monsters. The Australian aspects are very rich and plastic, and it’s a great novel to find out about the country’s contemporary conflicts. Also, it is food for thoughts to dwell on how unwanted boat people are treated by previous waves of unwanted boat people.
However, all these different themes, all interesting in themselves, never really gelled, and the longer I read, the more disappointed I felt by the dramatic development.
However, when yet another character, the young refugee, is introduced, I felt the narrative is getting too crammed. The original stalker story is sidelined, and the novel becomes too busy trying to be politically correct. The crocodiles, for example, remain mere props; unfortunately, they never get to play any significant role. (I was hoping the stalker would end up as croc food.) Moreover, the resolution is not very convincing.
This is an ambitious, multi-layered novel whose themes are refuge vs. sense of belonging, human migration vs. immigration politics, city vs. wilderness, conservation vs. progress, primeval vs. modern monsters. The Australian aspects are very rich and plastic, and it’s a great novel to find out about the country’s contemporary conflicts. Also, it is food for thoughts to dwell on how unwanted boat people are treated by previous waves of unwanted boat people.
However, all these different themes, all interesting in themselves, never really gelled, and the longer I read, the more disappointed I felt by the dramatic development.
July 20, 2010
A multi-layered contemporary novel that drew me in more and more as I read. The title refers to the main character, Grace, who is fleeing a deranged stalker, and is also the name given by her anthropological father to an ancient skeleton he finds in the desert of the northwest of Western Australia. As well as the linked stories of Grace and her father, current issues of the detention of refugees and of Aboriginal identity are touched on and woven into their lives. Another great book from Robert Drewe.
March 24, 2016
The storyline of looking at Australia’s first people with the arrival of the latest boat people was interesting. But I did not really enjoy this book.
Too many parts looked back on the lives of one of the characters with detail that did not seem to add much to the story. The links between the main characters – Grace, her anthropologist father, the stalker and a refugee boy – did not resonate with me. They had common themes – uncertain pasts, being hunted, seeking attention – but the book just did not hang together.
Too many parts looked back on the lives of one of the characters with detail that did not seem to add much to the story. The links between the main characters – Grace, her anthropologist father, the stalker and a refugee boy – did not resonate with me. They had common themes – uncertain pasts, being hunted, seeking attention – but the book just did not hang together.
January 7, 2016
Grace is a young woman who is being pursued by a stalker. She was named after a ‘gracile’ aboriginal skeleton discovered by her father many years before. Drewe attempts too much in this novel. The connections between anthropology, aboriginal history, conservation, tourist parks, illegal immigrants and erotomania are elusive. There are disturbing ideas here, and a strong sense of Australian landscape and settlement over many waves of arrivals, but they sit rather uneasily with the sardonic humour of some sections and the story of Grace ‘on the run’.
March 7, 2012
I found this book so boring that I forgot that I had already attempted to read it and given up, rather than just getting distracted with other things. Being such a voracious reader it actually takes quite a bit to distract me, so I should have realised much sooner. don't think I'll bother with any of his other books, despite having a good reputation by other's standards.
January 24, 2013
not his best work. normally really enjoy his writing. this book difficult to maintain interest. could not engage with characters, narrative difficult to follow, stories didnt hold together. some interesting information about life in different parts of Australia. scope was large but for me, I didn't feel he carried it off well.
December 14, 2008
While this book was not that great it was saved by the anthropology and insights into Australian politics.
April 12, 2009
Not overly impressed - didn't like the main character, found the whole story a bit too cliche or something. Others int eh club seemed to like it better than i did.
November 29, 2009
Loved it! But F**K me if I can figure out the last thing that happened in the book? Did she sleep with that dude and I just completely miss it?
September 1, 2010
Ah! It just ends. Frustrating.
Also some really strange parts in the book that really don't relate to what I thought was the main story.
Also some really strange parts in the book that really don't relate to what I thought was the main story.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 10, 2011
OK book, but drags a bit
September 21, 2013
Didn't finish this book. Just could not get into it. Too many obvious references. Disappointing as I had higher expectations from this author.
March 11, 2016
Heard a lot about this book and this writer, but found the pace to drag too often and the characters poorly created. Nice depiction of countryside, and surprising narrative shift.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews