A slow-paced novel dealing with loss, family and friendships.
Fiona McCallum is well known to many readers. South Australian born and bred, she has written 12 bestsellers. McCallum was born in Cleve on the Eyre
Trick of the Light is the story of Erica, a newly widowed woman, 49 years of age. As well as mourning the loss of her beloved husband and father of her two girls, she discovers after a visit from the family accountants that he lost all their money through bad money management.
Erica’s daughters are just about to head off to Europe on their “trip of a lifetime” and she doesn’t want to mar their holiday by telling them the news of his gross mismanagement. Luckily, she still has a job in the cosmetics section at a department store. On top of dealing with her money worries and the overwhelming grief of losing her husband, her father is suffering from dementia and she needs to regularly visit him in the home.
Erica has many more hurdles to jump as the story continues, and one wonders how so many things can happen to one person in such a short space of time. Luckily, it all turns out well in the end as friends and family step in to help and Erica eventually finds the courage to endure against seemingly impossible odds.
McCallum’s overriding theme is the ability to pick one’s self up and carry on, not wallow in misery. Sometimes it is hard when suffering from grief or anxiety and there seems no way out but McCallum wants the reader to know that we need to keep moving, one step at a time.
McCallum likes to use her stories to deal with loss, change, and self-discovery. Trick of the Light is no exception. She admits it is a fictional self-help book.
The story covers many themes including not being in control of your finances, losing your job, looking after and grieving over the loss of elderly parents, dementia, friendships, and family.
Trick of the Light is a light read in a book of almost 350 pages. Unfortunately, it is too repetitive and internally focussed as Erica agonises at great length over the decisions she needs to make. Her inability to make these decisions is sometimes frustrating and this slow-paced novel may struggle to keep some readers’ attention. At times the reader may feel weighed down.
It is always great to read a story set in your own home town and reading about Adelaide in Trick of the Light gives the story added excitement when place names are recognised.
Fans of Fiona McCallum will no doubt enjoy this new read.
Reviewed by Sue Mauger
Distributed by: Harper Collins Australia
Released: 7 April 2021
RRP: $12.99
More News
