Kate Morton does a marvelous job of juggling three timelines in recounting the stories of three generations of the Turner family: Thomas and Isabel Turner and their children, Matilda, John, Evie, and Thea; Nora, Thomas’s younger sister, her daughter, Polly; and finally Jess, daughter of Polly. Central to their stories are two factors: the setting of Tambilla in the Adelaide Hills of southern Australia, a small village on the edge of the bush, and the confounding deaths of Isabel, Matilda, John, and Evie, with the baby, Thea, gone missing. This tragedy is the pivotal event in the lives of the families of Tambilla, and the surviving members of the Turner family. Polly and Jess must find their way to self identity and building their lives in the wake of this tragedy, in spite of Nora’s attempts to shield them from the impacts. Morton demonstrates how protection through denial of events, no matter how horrific, is not the best strategy, despite good intentions.

We learn of the backgrounds of Thomas Turner and Isabel, when they meet in Europe in the wake of World War II, and each surviving loss, start their lives together. Bringing his new family home to a grand, if idiosyncratic home on the outskirts of the small bush town of Tambilla, southern Australia, we feel their high hopes for a fresh start. The family grows during Thomas’s short visits home, yet he leaves his beloved Isabel alone far too much, left to raise their children while he conducts business in Europe. We see the circumstances of the fatal Christmas eve picnic, when Thomas’s family die their peaceful, mysterious deaths, from various perspectives in repeated flashbacks throughout the novel, learning a bit more each time. The recounting comes as Jess, a journalist and granddaughter of Nora, digs deeper into this tragedy, on a journey of self-discovery, realizing that the truth of this event will change her views of grandmother, mother, and herself.

Morton unspools the mystery with a deft hand, unveiling clue upon clue until each and every question is resolved nearly until the end. While parents certainly have an obligation to guide and protect their children, we see the limits of this protection, and the fact that parents operate from insufficient knowledge and viewpoint, not appreciating the consequences of our best intentions. Parents have no choice, however; we must make these decisions, extend our protections from our best judgement, personal limitations, and love, then live with the hindsight and make peace with the consequences as best we can. Morton also describes the quest for self discovery through understanding our family history, learning our place within its tapestry. This happens through homecoming, revisiting the scenes of that history, learning its truths, the choices made by our forebears, the impacts on us, and our possible ways forward. If we can learn from their mistakes, perhaps we can gain wisdom.

Morton is a skilled novelist, and you will find this a rewarding book. Her descriptions of Australia are in themselves amazing, the flora and fauna, the topography, her love and knowledge of the natural world of that region. Highly recommended.