The Beautiful Words
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- €20.99
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- €20.99
Publisher Description
Two best friends, one summer night, and twenty years of silence ... what happened at the lighthouse?
The stunning, haunting new novel from the author of The Lost Summers of Driftwood.
Sylvie is a lover of words and a collector of stories, only she has lost her own. She has no words for that night at the lighthouse when their lives changed forever. What happened to cleave her apart from her best friend and soulmate, Kase?
Sylvie yearns to rekindle their deep connection, so when Kase invites her to the wild Tasmanian coast to celebrate her 40th birthday, she accepts - despite the ghosts she must face.
As Sylvie struggles to find her feet among old friends, she bonds with local taxi boat driver Holden. But he is hiding from the world, too.
Through an inscription in an old book, Sylvie and Kase discover their mothers have a history, hidden from their daughters. As they unpick what took place before they were born, they're forced to face the rift in their own friendship, and the question of whether it's ever okay to keep a secret to protect the person you love.
Vanessa McCausland's enthralling new novel is about betrayal and forgiveness, the stories we tell, and the healing power of words.
'This evocative novel completely captivated me and I didn't want it to end. Vanessa McCausland is a remarkable storyteller.' Petronella McGovern
'Vanessa McCausland doesn't disappoint! Lyrical and evocative, the trauma and emotion rises off the pages along with the salt spray and the haunting cries of the eagles.' Fiona Lowe
'McCausland's poetic writing makes the heart sing. Graceful and glorious.' Alexandra Joel
'Reading a Vanessa McCausland book is like indulging in fine dark chocolate - her writing is decadent, dark, complex and luxurious. In this book she takes her lyricism to a new level, reveling in the power of words and stories to both heal and harm.' Cassie Hamer
'Rich with atmosphere and moral conflicts, The Beautiful Words sensitively explores the intricacies of two generations bound by secrets, with McCausland's trademark, hauntingly lyrical prose. It's a gifted storyteller that keeps me up way past my bedtime, but once again, I found myself unable to put Vanessa McCausland's novel down.' Maya Linnell
'Intriguing ... The Beautiful Words is a compelling story in a uniquely Australian setting for fans of Hannah Richell or Emily Bitto.' Books + Publishing
'Breathtaking ... Rich with atmosphere and written in haunting, melodic prose, The Beautiful Words is a powerful and timely work of fiction that celebrates the importance of female friendship and women's voices. Ultimately, though, it is a tale of healing, and a love letter to words and the power of storytelling.' Better Reading
'A clever and wonderful book' Herald Sun
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
In The Beautiful Words, Vanessa McCausland plays with part and imagined truths, tricks of memory and loose loyalties to create a compelling must-listen with literary cred. Sylvie has been broken by the circumstances of life: a lost best friend, a lax mother and a terrible accident, the details of which dance at the edge of her understanding. When she accepts an invitation to former best friend Kase’s fortieth birthday party on a private Tasmanian island, she’s reunited with people from her past and thrown into turmoil. Old jealousies and new class conflicts are interrogated as Sylvie tries to piece together what happened at the lighthouse all those years ago to separate her from Kase. Sylvie is a layered character—vulnerable, complicated and perceptive—and is so well written she feels like someone we’ve met before. This impressive multi-perspective, cross-generational novel has a twisty plot, a captivating romance and a mystery that doesn’t get untangled until the very end.