FTV Blog 4: Kate Grenville's 'The Lieutenant'

In year 12 English I studied The Secret River by Kate Grenville, a fictional book about a convict's relations with native Australians. Australian history never took my fancy but it was my favourite of the three books we read (preferring it over The Kite Runner and Nineteen Eighty-Four) because of the beautiful language Grenville employs to tell her stories. My Dad had a copy lying around of The Lieutenant, another Grenville work of similar content, so I started reading it. I hardly ever read proper novels but I knew with Grenville it would be a pleasure to roll through the words on the page, effortlessly absorbing the deftly crafted descriptions of scenery and characters.

While wondering how to describe Grenville's style, it's occurred to that despite being elegantly presented, I wouldn't say it's 'subtle'. Often Grenville will spell out the thoughts of the protagonist, but I don't think this is a bad thing at all. It means I don't have to read between the lines looking for deeper meaning. Gladly, I see the book as a great story rather than a work that relies on heavy interpretation or analysis from the reader.