Fiona McFarlane

The stories in here all center on a notorious Australian serial killer who murdered hitchhikers and backpackers in New South Wales some thirty years ago. These aren't horror stories or detective tales, instead each story centers on someone with a connection to the crimes, some very tangential, like the first story about a man whose co-worker is fascinated by the crimes; some closer, like a politician running for office who shares his last name, or an actor taking a role in a film.

The serial killer Noah's playing is--was--a real man. Noah had heard of him before he took the part, of course. Every Australian has heard of him. Most Americans haven't. Wylie hadn't. Noah tried to explain: This is like playing Ted Bundy. This is like playing Jack the Ripper. Wylie said, Good! A complex, brave, meaty part! He knows she considers Australia, and everything in it, smaller than anything in the US or Europe. Unconsciously, of course. Smaller serial killers, smaller murders, smaller grief.

But while the stories center on the serial killer, they often don't mention him at all, or in passing. People, even people affected by his actions, still lead complex lives of their own. So in The Wake, the spouse of a detective who worked on the task force finds out the killer has died, but the character and the story are more focused on an unsettling change to her morning routine.

I've read other short story collections that use a single person or event to tie the stories together and when they are well done, the result is a collection that is varied and also cohesive. McFarlane's collection was wonderful -- she hardly needed the connective tissue as each story stood fully on its own feet, but there was so much variety in the stories collected here, that the connections, however faint, did give added force to their impact.… (more)