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Vendetta
Set in Gippsland in the 1970s and 80s, AND OF THE SON follows two boys who inherit a violent family feud from their fathers. Over the course of a summer, Daniel and Noah befriend one another, then are separated under mysterious circumstances. Years later, they discover this is because Daniel's father murdered Noah's, setting the childhood friends on a collision course, with Noah bent on revenge.
Kindle Edition
First published November 23, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
December 26, 2014
‘In the end, I didn’t pick up the rock, and neither of us died that day. Though maybe one of us should have, and spared the other what life was to follow.’
This novel is set in Gippsland, in Australia during the 1970s and 1980s. It’s about two boys, Daniel and Noah, about lives shaped and blighted by choices made by their fathers, and by themselves, and the consequences of those choices.
When Daniel is aged ten or eleven, his family moved from a farm to a small town near where his father has bought a service station. Daniel takes part in the work around the house and the service station, and for a while life seems okay. Daniel meets Noah, the son of the local policeman, and they become friends. There’s an incident that drives the boys apart. And then as business falls off at the service station, Daniel’s father becomes withdrawn and is home less often. Until one day, after a strange incident one night, when he disappears.
‘And I had to make that choice then, as a boy of eleven years old. A choice that would determine the rest of my life for good or bad, and carrying with it the weight that it could not be taken back.’
Daniel and his mother move away, but when Daniel turns eighteen he’s on his own. Daniel drifts for a while. Then he goes back, back into the past he thought he’s left behind to find out that there was a lot he didn’t know.
This novel is divided into three parts: Pride; The Fall and Reckoning. In each of these parts, Daniel is the narrator. In each of these parts, we learn more about the past. Daniel learns about the consequences of some of the decisions he’s made, and actions taken by his father.
‘For as long as I could remember, I had been running. From my mother, from my father, from Ian, from Bill, from Noah, from everyone in between.’
I don’t want to write more about the plot of this story because I don’t want to spoil it for other readers. There are a number of twists and turns in the story, perceptions change as Daniel learns what led to some of the inexplicable things he saw as a child. Will Daniel be destroyed by his past, or can he hope to survive? This novel has me wondering (more than usual) about the consequences of actions and the hand of fate.
‘We learn to walk in the footsteps of our fathers and after that, we teach our sons to walk in ours.’
Note: I was offered, and accepted, a copy of this novel for review purposes.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
This novel is set in Gippsland, in Australia during the 1970s and 1980s. It’s about two boys, Daniel and Noah, about lives shaped and blighted by choices made by their fathers, and by themselves, and the consequences of those choices.
When Daniel is aged ten or eleven, his family moved from a farm to a small town near where his father has bought a service station. Daniel takes part in the work around the house and the service station, and for a while life seems okay. Daniel meets Noah, the son of the local policeman, and they become friends. There’s an incident that drives the boys apart. And then as business falls off at the service station, Daniel’s father becomes withdrawn and is home less often. Until one day, after a strange incident one night, when he disappears.
‘And I had to make that choice then, as a boy of eleven years old. A choice that would determine the rest of my life for good or bad, and carrying with it the weight that it could not be taken back.’
Daniel and his mother move away, but when Daniel turns eighteen he’s on his own. Daniel drifts for a while. Then he goes back, back into the past he thought he’s left behind to find out that there was a lot he didn’t know.
This novel is divided into three parts: Pride; The Fall and Reckoning. In each of these parts, Daniel is the narrator. In each of these parts, we learn more about the past. Daniel learns about the consequences of some of the decisions he’s made, and actions taken by his father.
‘For as long as I could remember, I had been running. From my mother, from my father, from Ian, from Bill, from Noah, from everyone in between.’
I don’t want to write more about the plot of this story because I don’t want to spoil it for other readers. There are a number of twists and turns in the story, perceptions change as Daniel learns what led to some of the inexplicable things he saw as a child. Will Daniel be destroyed by his past, or can he hope to survive? This novel has me wondering (more than usual) about the consequences of actions and the hand of fate.
‘We learn to walk in the footsteps of our fathers and after that, we teach our sons to walk in ours.’
Note: I was offered, and accepted, a copy of this novel for review purposes.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
December 17, 2014
I have reviewed this book on my personal blog - Joh Blogs - And of the Son by Jack Geurts
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews