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The Labrynth
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
March 12, 2023
Excellent. Absolutely deserving of its awards and laurels. The story had a lot of depth and emotion and yet never felt like I was moralising at you regarding the trauma of the subjects. I thought it was a great example of the maddening stages of grief. The mania, the latching onto anything buoyant. It was both a resolved and unresolved ending, much like the nature of grief and pain.
September 7, 2022
I listened to this audiobook which was very well read. It is definitely a story to reflect on because it has grown on me.
Erica's story is labyrinth like, in that it curls around languidly, never heading directly to a conclusion. It is the story of her building a new life.
Was this book worth reading? Yes
Would I read it again? Maybe
Would I recommend it? And who to? Literature buffs who like books that paint a picture.
My Goodreads star rating... ****
My Goodreads scale:
* waste of time
**filled in time
***good
****excellent
*****absolutely amazing
Erica's story is labyrinth like, in that it curls around languidly, never heading directly to a conclusion. It is the story of her building a new life.
Was this book worth reading? Yes
Would I read it again? Maybe
Would I recommend it? And who to? Literature buffs who like books that paint a picture.
My Goodreads star rating... ****
My Goodreads scale:
* waste of time
**filled in time
***good
****excellent
*****absolutely amazing
April 25, 2022
Very worthy winner of the 2021 Miles Franklin. Erica has moved to a small sea-side hamlet in order to be close to her son who has been imprisoned for manslaughter. As a balm for her grief and a way to process her trauma she sets out to build a labrynth in her yard.
This book is about families, about generations of grief and trauma, about art and its power to heal and the value of relationships.
This book is subtle but so beautiful.
This book is about families, about generations of grief and trauma, about art and its power to heal and the value of relationships.
This book is subtle but so beautiful.
October 27, 2025
Loved the premise but it was so boring. I forgot to finish it and it expired from the library. But I didn't care what he did or what happened in the end.
March 28, 2022
Like a labyrinth, this story weaves around the life of Erica and in doing so she comes to an acceptance of her situation and life's journey. Beautifully told, in a concise writing style and I found a great empathy for Erica. Highly recommended.
May 8, 2022
One of the best, most absorbing books I've read - seemingly quiet story with multiple prongs. I loved it.
Read
January 23, 2023An easy read, nice story but I felt like I was missing something. I kept waiting for the part of the story I could get my teeth into but it never came.
September 10, 2024
Australiana + mental health + mystery + family trauma + class + art & the artistic process
February 4, 2026
This is an interim review for myself, as I just finished reading it yesterday and think I need more time to reflect.
Great characters, believable and distinct, and also reflective of the cross-section present in a NSW coastal town yet so rarely covered in fiction. I felt all of the characters were real people, and ones I knew. The book addresses grief and inter-generational trauma in a compassionate, subtle and intelligent way. It is as much about what it leaves unsaid (ie says between the lines), as it says, much like the relationship between the lines and the path of a labyrinth. The book grew on me the more I read, and the more I sat with the world it conveyed.
This is very much a character and place based book, so it likely won’t appeal to those who want a strong or dramatic plot, yet it’s no less a book for that. It’s a deeply evocative portrait of a place and relationships. I loved it.
Great characters, believable and distinct, and also reflective of the cross-section present in a NSW coastal town yet so rarely covered in fiction. I felt all of the characters were real people, and ones I knew. The book addresses grief and inter-generational trauma in a compassionate, subtle and intelligent way. It is as much about what it leaves unsaid (ie says between the lines), as it says, much like the relationship between the lines and the path of a labyrinth. The book grew on me the more I read, and the more I sat with the world it conveyed.
This is very much a character and place based book, so it likely won’t appeal to those who want a strong or dramatic plot, yet it’s no less a book for that. It’s a deeply evocative portrait of a place and relationships. I loved it.
July 11, 2024
Favourite quotes:
“One of my father's reforms had been to set up a workshop, along with a craft studio. This was a source of pride to him, for he believed in the mind as a divine engineering project designed for the invention and use of tools. Homo faber: man the maker. The use of the hands is a powerful medicine, he would say. We can succumb to the temptation to overthink a problem when the cure for many ills is to make something.”
“The maze is a challenge to the brain (how smart are you), the labyrinth to the heart (will you surrender). In the maze you grapple with the challenge but in the labyrinth you let go. Effortlessly you come back to where you started, somehow changed by the act of surrender.”
“One of my father's reforms had been to set up a workshop, along with a craft studio. This was a source of pride to him, for he believed in the mind as a divine engineering project designed for the invention and use of tools. Homo faber: man the maker. The use of the hands is a powerful medicine, he would say. We can succumb to the temptation to overthink a problem when the cure for many ills is to make something.”
“The maze is a challenge to the brain (how smart are you), the labyrinth to the heart (will you surrender). In the maze you grapple with the challenge but in the labyrinth you let go. Effortlessly you come back to where you started, somehow changed by the act of surrender.”
March 12, 2022
To imagine where she is would require turning off everything - in an old cottage near the lagoon away from the suburbs and the city. There is so little noise. Just her thoughts, the neighbors, and the labyrinth project - and of course her son in the prison.
There is really no planning about the long term as she is almost just waiting for something.
A beautiful and quiet story.
There is really no planning about the long term as she is almost just waiting for something.
A beautiful and quiet story.
March 25, 2022
Reflecting on the book certainly improved it for me as it lifted the themes and tied everything together, however as I was reading it I felt the storyline was a bit flat and frustrating. I listened to it as an audio book and it came across as a little depressing so this could have spoiled the experience.
May 26, 2022
After finishing and reflecting on the book I enjoyed it more and more. I Initially wondered why it was awarded the Miles Franklin Award but I think it was deserving.
It is beautifully written, subtle and clever in it’s restraint.
It is beautifully written, subtle and clever in it’s restraint.
February 16, 2022
An unusual but beautifully written story. The prose is wonderful. Never give up on people or life.
November 13, 2025
great book. A lot of depth in the protagonists character, does a great job at portraying the layers of grief. would definetly recommend
July 23, 2022
This book is a sprawling narrative that is quite compelling and strangely poetic in its prose. It reflects on the ways we can remake ourselves and our relationships in times of struggle. It tells the story of Erica Marsden who leaves her fractured life and retreats to a sleepy town on the south coast of NSW to a rundown shack where she can be closer to her son who is in prison serving a life sentence. She sketches out a labyrinth in the sand at the back of her property and finds another loner to help her build it. It is beautiful writing which is haunting in parts and is best read slowly. Whilst a simple story it is nevertheless a well deserved winner of the Miles Franklin.
December 29, 2022
This is worthy of a second read. I liked the main character alot. Something about it reminded me of Virginia Woolf. I liked it more after reading a Guardian review and discussing it in bookclub.
April 28, 2024
The Labyrinth by Amanda Lohrey (Book Review)
https://youtu.be/kkuiR6lPUFs
https://youtu.be/kkuiR6lPUFs
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews