Book Review: The Sun Walks Down

The Sun Walks Down
By Fiona McFarlane
Review by Bel
What a breath of fresh air for historical novels! Not only does it have important questions to ask about history, about art, about land, and the blundering colonial project generally – it’s also a gripping story bursting with a vivid array of characters, vibrant scenery and a good peppering of humour. McFarlane applies the historical detail with a light touch and her characters are refreshingly modern. Her impressive ensemble represents the messy, diverse cacophony of history, rather than the troublingly smooth, ‘accurate’ narratives often presented in historical fiction.
This is a fantastic literary achievement, but (perhaps more importantly) it’s also just a really good read.