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Return to Tamarlin
Two sisters, one stranger... a lifetime of questions
When Tamara Slender disappears from an isolated property in Western NSW in 1975, gossip runs wild with rumours she has run off with a local man, Roger Bryte.
Months later, Tamara's teenage daughters, Nancy and Mary, realise they encountered Bryte in caves on their property the day before their mother disappeared. Despite their suspicions, their father refuses to involve the police, and the girl's grief, fuelled by the town gossips and their father's inaction, drives them apart.
In 2007 a stranger arrives at the farm seeking information about Roger Bryte. His questions give Nancy a reason to contact her estranged sister. The sisters are reunited, and their mother's disappearance is finally solved when Mary returns to Tamarlin.
When Tamara Slender disappears from an isolated property in Western NSW in 1975, gossip runs wild with rumours she has run off with a local man, Roger Bryte.
Months later, Tamara's teenage daughters, Nancy and Mary, realise they encountered Bryte in caves on their property the day before their mother disappeared. Despite their suspicions, their father refuses to involve the police, and the girl's grief, fuelled by the town gossips and their father's inaction, drives them apart.
In 2007 a stranger arrives at the farm seeking information about Roger Bryte. His questions give Nancy a reason to contact her estranged sister. The sisters are reunited, and their mother's disappearance is finally solved when Mary returns to Tamarlin.
- GenresMystery
354 pages, ebook
First published September 25, 2017
294 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
December 14, 2020
The Slender family farm 'Tamarlin' on marginal land near Coonabarabran in New South Wales was a tough place for the two girls Nancy and Mary to grow up. The land was harsh and unproductive and getting worse each year of the drought. There was little for the girls to do on the farm, except for chores. They had no friends and when they did sneak off to play in the local caves they would get in trouble for not doing their work. Then one night after Nancy heard her parents having a huge row, their mother Tamara disappeared. The rumour in their small community was that she had run off with a former lover, who also disappeared around the same time but Nancy often wondered if her father Lionel had killed her mother that night. After that life only got harder for the girls as they were gossiped about by the town and never found their place in the community. Mary, the more vivacious of the pair would later leave to study and travel and Nancy would marry another misfit and continue working on the farm.
The mystery of Tamara's disappearance would haunt the girls and overshadow them all their lives. Nancy grew up bitter and twisted, seeking solace in prayer and her bible while Mary looked for her mother everywhere she went. Mary's eventual return to Tamarlin would coincide with some fresh information from the past and the eventual discovery of what happened to Tamara.
This was quite a sad story with some strong themes. Not least the difficult lives of farmers trying to make a living out of marginal land, desperately trying to provide for their families while the land degrades further. Locked into a cycle, unable to afford to update their practices or look at ways of improving the quality of the soil. The land not only destroyed Lionel and Tamara's marriage but also Nancy and Mary's childhood but also affected their lives and ability to find happiness. 3.5★
The mystery of Tamara's disappearance would haunt the girls and overshadow them all their lives. Nancy grew up bitter and twisted, seeking solace in prayer and her bible while Mary looked for her mother everywhere she went. Mary's eventual return to Tamarlin would coincide with some fresh information from the past and the eventual discovery of what happened to Tamara.
This was quite a sad story with some strong themes. Not least the difficult lives of farmers trying to make a living out of marginal land, desperately trying to provide for their families while the land degrades further. Locked into a cycle, unable to afford to update their practices or look at ways of improving the quality of the soil. The land not only destroyed Lionel and Tamara's marriage but also Nancy and Mary's childhood but also affected their lives and ability to find happiness. 3.5★
April 9, 2018
"Return to Tamarlin" by K.M. Steele is a sweeping epic story told over a number of decades.
Early reviews have drawn parallels with the classic, Picnic at Hanging Rock, and I tend to agree with them. You get a real feel for the boundless Australian rural setting in the world Steele has created. This is a story that could certainly lend itself to screen adaptation.
Themes of estrangement and reconciliation run strong through this fascinating novel.
An enjoyable read.
Early reviews have drawn parallels with the classic, Picnic at Hanging Rock, and I tend to agree with them. You get a real feel for the boundless Australian rural setting in the world Steele has created. This is a story that could certainly lend itself to screen adaptation.
Themes of estrangement and reconciliation run strong through this fascinating novel.
An enjoyable read.
August 3, 2019
The main problem I had with this was that both sisters, the mum and the dad were all equally unlikeable. You can have unlikeable characters and still understand where they're coming from,but this wasn't like that. I didn't understand anything they said or did.
The other problem I had was that there were too many pointless scenes of characters approaching each other, having passive aggressive conversations and realising later that they hadn't a really addressed the topic they'd planned to take up. There were too many characters period, who were only brought up in passing and so you can't bond with them. The book was too short in that regard, you needed more time to build a connection. Like Sam, his death meant nothing to me and it should have been huge.
The other problem I had was that there were too many pointless scenes of characters approaching each other, having passive aggressive conversations and realising later that they hadn't a really addressed the topic they'd planned to take up. There were too many characters period, who were only brought up in passing and so you can't bond with them. The book was too short in that regard, you needed more time to build a connection. Like Sam, his death meant nothing to me and it should have been huge.
May 1, 2018
K. M. Steele has penned an intriguing novel of two sisters and the dark mystery that separates them. Return to Tamarlin is well-written, slow-paced and rich in sense of place. Steele's rendering of a sheep farm in crisis as its owners battle drought and plague, along with the prejudices and gossip of a small country town are spot on. This social realism provides the perfect back drop for a story involving the disappearance of Nancy and Mary's mother on the very day they decide to try to re-enact the disappearance of the schoolgirls in Picnic at Hanging Rock, at some caves on their property called the Limeholes. Two weeks earlier, another local disappears, a local the girls encounter when they visit the caves. Are the two disappearances connected? What is it about their mother and her past that troubles both her daughters, and causes one to fiercely defend their father, and the other to flee the farm for larger horizons?
Good characterisation and a well-crafted plot hold the story together and the various tensions within the family and in the local community are convincingly portrayed. Tragedy, loss, grief and belonging are the emotional themes underpinning Return to Tamarlin, themes many a reader will relate to. This novel will appeal to those who want to lose themselves in an Australian rural setting and re-visit Australia in the 1970s, with all of its social prejudices intact.
Good characterisation and a well-crafted plot hold the story together and the various tensions within the family and in the local community are convincingly portrayed. Tragedy, loss, grief and belonging are the emotional themes underpinning Return to Tamarlin, themes many a reader will relate to. This novel will appeal to those who want to lose themselves in an Australian rural setting and re-visit Australia in the 1970s, with all of its social prejudices intact.
June 27, 2018
A brilliantly written, suspense-filled journey of the two teenager 'Slender sisters,' Nancy and Mary and how one days events altered their entire futures.
Secrets are important to keep, in a small Western NSW town like Coonabarabran, because when gossip gets out of hand, it travels faster and with more fate-altering consequences than if the local sheep were to escape their paddocks.
The writing style is addictive and brings the emotional responses out that I'm sure the author Steele, expected. Although there are still many unanswered questions by the time you get to the end of this 30 year saga, it is nevertheless a riveting read. I found myself trying to figure out what had happened to their mother on that fate-altering night... what had their dad done and finally, what had the girls done to one of the main suspects (suspected months later, after the girls mother Tamara, disappeared). Answers are hinted at and some are not, but ultimately what you think may have happened, may not have. Things come to head when a stranger arrives in town, who is seeking innocent enough information, but what he finds, is certainly not innocent!
I highly recommend this book to lovers of suspense, Australian heritage and thrilling mysteries.
Secrets are important to keep, in a small Western NSW town like Coonabarabran, because when gossip gets out of hand, it travels faster and with more fate-altering consequences than if the local sheep were to escape their paddocks.
The writing style is addictive and brings the emotional responses out that I'm sure the author Steele, expected. Although there are still many unanswered questions by the time you get to the end of this 30 year saga, it is nevertheless a riveting read. I found myself trying to figure out what had happened to their mother on that fate-altering night... what had their dad done and finally, what had the girls done to one of the main suspects (suspected months later, after the girls mother Tamara, disappeared). Answers are hinted at and some are not, but ultimately what you think may have happened, may not have. Things come to head when a stranger arrives in town, who is seeking innocent enough information, but what he finds, is certainly not innocent!
I highly recommend this book to lovers of suspense, Australian heritage and thrilling mysteries.
March 31, 2018
Return to Tamarlin is a fast paced Australian saga which takes place over 30 or so years. And I can absolutely picture it being adapted into one of our beloved Aussie Mini-series'.
It is a tale of two sisters, Nancy and Mary, who were raised on a sheep property, and how when tragedy struck, they both sought to escape - one to different cities/countries, and the other to religion. Neither solution prevented them from adopting a certain hardness as they raised their individual fortresses of self-preservation. The moral - you can't run away from your issues.
It is one of those stories where you wait for the happy-ever-after... Urging the characters to make decisions that are out of your control. Asking 'what if,' or saying 'if only they had...' Life doesn't allow you to turn back the clock, but so long as inner peace is eventually found, it is still a happy ending.
I also loved the husband's epiphany at the end of the book. All round, this story and all of the characters came full circle, which leaves this reader very happy. : )
It is a tale of two sisters, Nancy and Mary, who were raised on a sheep property, and how when tragedy struck, they both sought to escape - one to different cities/countries, and the other to religion. Neither solution prevented them from adopting a certain hardness as they raised their individual fortresses of self-preservation. The moral - you can't run away from your issues.
It is one of those stories where you wait for the happy-ever-after... Urging the characters to make decisions that are out of your control. Asking 'what if,' or saying 'if only they had...' Life doesn't allow you to turn back the clock, but so long as inner peace is eventually found, it is still a happy ending.
I also loved the husband's epiphany at the end of the book. All round, this story and all of the characters came full circle, which leaves this reader very happy. : )
March 10, 2019
I rarely have this criticism to make about books, but this one was too fast-paced for me. The setting and themes were intricate and fascinating, and I would have loved to linger. It was terrific how no character was painted good or bad (with the exception of one scumbag), and we got to hear the beliefs and motivations of almost all. The beauty and harshness of the bush, the cruelty of small-town society and big-city vice - I simply wanted more. I'd happily hear whole chapters from one character, rather than jump around, and give them the time to really show you their thoughts, rather than being told what they felt. It all deserved more time. Agree with some of the other reviewers - would make a great miniseries. I certainly didn't guess the ending either!
April 3, 2018
This is one of my book club 'finds' and what a find!
Some formatting issues stop me giving this the five stars it deserves... but this is a page-turner. I decided to read the opening chapter to see what it was like and could not stop. I kept going until the end. I read it in one day. :)
It would be a GREAT movie or mini-series as it documents the lives and consequences of a mystery affecting a family in the Australian outback country.
I cannot say more without being tempted to write what would be 'spoilers' - buy the book and read it. It is well worth the cost and the time.
Some formatting issues stop me giving this the five stars it deserves... but this is a page-turner. I decided to read the opening chapter to see what it was like and could not stop. I kept going until the end. I read it in one day. :)
It would be a GREAT movie or mini-series as it documents the lives and consequences of a mystery affecting a family in the Australian outback country.
I cannot say more without being tempted to write what would be 'spoilers' - buy the book and read it. It is well worth the cost and the time.
Read
March 1, 2022The characters were very one dimensional, almost like cardboard cut outs. The prose, laboured. The 'culprit' in relation to the disappearance of the central characters' mother has no presence in any part of the novel other than at the end to tie off loose ends. The author has self-published and this would be because it just wouldn't appeal to many readers. Thank god for publishing houses that keep this sort of contrived stuff off of our library shelves.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 5, 2018
KM Steele delivered a highly entertaining read full off descriptive narrative that set the scene for the scenes :) Truly enjoyable read.
September 8, 2024
Fantastic story, really enjoyed it. Will definitely read a book by K.M. Steele again. New fan.
June 25, 2020
I rarely get a chance to review work from people that aren’t based in either the UK or US, so it was nice to be able to get a submission from Australia, and it’s a very grounded Australian story, based in New South Wales. What also attracted me to this book was that it was a mystery, but it was very real, often with thrillers and mysteries you suspend disbelief because the story and/or the characters are strong, but usually the stakes are so high that often it can seem quite ridiculous but this story manages to provide a strong and engaging story while still being very realistic.
When it comes to music I like something with a lot of energy but with stories I’m happy for them to have a slow burn, as long as there’s a satisfactory conclusion, and I feel that Return to Tamarlin has that. It’s a well paced narrative that is very focused on people and the place that it’s set in, and not a lot of stories manage that second part well, maybe with stories set in New York or London they make the effort to show the energy of a big city and obviously with small towns they make the effort to emphasise the sleepy quality of it, but with Return to Tamarlin it’s the first time in a long time that I’ve read where the place itself felt organic and honest.
I think the social aspect of the story is also among the strongest elements of the story, as I said above it all blends into this honest and true impression of a community, particularly how secrets and judgemental eyes can scare someone away or force someone to leave. To an extent every community becomes insular but it’s only in small towns that it really has an influence, because everyone and their dog knows about that thing you did, and has appropriately factored that into their impression of you. Just very quickly though before I get back to the review, I don’t want to disparage small town life, I am from a small town, it’s as good as it is bad, it all depends on the people, the period in time and to be honest, what exactly it was you did, and those factors I feel also play into the central threads of the story we have here as well.
Another thing I want to applaud is the characterisation, especially of the two main characters, the sisters, Nancy and Mary, they aren’t perfect, but they are real and I think that reality makes the story all the more engaging. Being honest the characterisation feels like the result of someone who has spent a lot of time observing how people really act, rather than just how they think people act or worse mirroring how people act on TV. I like Steele’s characters because they seem like people rather than just extensions of the story.
Another strong element of this story is the family structure, the estrangement and the inciting incident bringing the sisters back together. So many people lose touch with their family and this can sadly be the tone of much of our lives, how for good or bad we lose touch with people and how much worse when its family, it reminds you to hold on to what you’ve got because it could all be taken away, and you might not be lucky enough to have a 30 year old mystery to bring you back together.
I’ve left a lot out because I don’t want to spoil the story and frankly because I feel you need to experience this book yourself but to be honest everything I’ve left out has been good, so make sure and get a copy yourself from Amazon. Anyway with all that in mind Return to Tamarlin by K.M Steele, more than earns a 5/5.
First Published on: https://offtherecordblog.org/
Off the Record is and always will be a free platform, but if you like what we do here and want to contribute to the production of future content then you can do so by donating to our PayPal or Ko-Fi.
When it comes to music I like something with a lot of energy but with stories I’m happy for them to have a slow burn, as long as there’s a satisfactory conclusion, and I feel that Return to Tamarlin has that. It’s a well paced narrative that is very focused on people and the place that it’s set in, and not a lot of stories manage that second part well, maybe with stories set in New York or London they make the effort to show the energy of a big city and obviously with small towns they make the effort to emphasise the sleepy quality of it, but with Return to Tamarlin it’s the first time in a long time that I’ve read where the place itself felt organic and honest.
I think the social aspect of the story is also among the strongest elements of the story, as I said above it all blends into this honest and true impression of a community, particularly how secrets and judgemental eyes can scare someone away or force someone to leave. To an extent every community becomes insular but it’s only in small towns that it really has an influence, because everyone and their dog knows about that thing you did, and has appropriately factored that into their impression of you. Just very quickly though before I get back to the review, I don’t want to disparage small town life, I am from a small town, it’s as good as it is bad, it all depends on the people, the period in time and to be honest, what exactly it was you did, and those factors I feel also play into the central threads of the story we have here as well.
Another thing I want to applaud is the characterisation, especially of the two main characters, the sisters, Nancy and Mary, they aren’t perfect, but they are real and I think that reality makes the story all the more engaging. Being honest the characterisation feels like the result of someone who has spent a lot of time observing how people really act, rather than just how they think people act or worse mirroring how people act on TV. I like Steele’s characters because they seem like people rather than just extensions of the story.
Another strong element of this story is the family structure, the estrangement and the inciting incident bringing the sisters back together. So many people lose touch with their family and this can sadly be the tone of much of our lives, how for good or bad we lose touch with people and how much worse when its family, it reminds you to hold on to what you’ve got because it could all be taken away, and you might not be lucky enough to have a 30 year old mystery to bring you back together.
I’ve left a lot out because I don’t want to spoil the story and frankly because I feel you need to experience this book yourself but to be honest everything I’ve left out has been good, so make sure and get a copy yourself from Amazon. Anyway with all that in mind Return to Tamarlin by K.M Steele, more than earns a 5/5.
First Published on: https://offtherecordblog.org/
Off the Record is and always will be a free platform, but if you like what we do here and want to contribute to the production of future content then you can do so by donating to our PayPal or Ko-Fi.
January 13, 2024
This atmospheric read drip-feeds secrets as you go along. Sisters Nancy and Mary live in rural New South Wales ever haunted by their mother's disappearance. The story initially builds tension in their everyday farm life until Mary seeks her fortune in Sydney and London, while Nancy stays to run the Tamarlin property with her dysfunctional father. Both women live with doubt until a stranger turns up hoping find answers to the mystery. In many ways this is a sinister, brooding book, but the swift writing style makes it a page-turner.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews