Julia Leigh, an Australian writer has written an unusual novelette. At 121 pages, it can be read at one or two sittings. It title is apt; it is disquieting with a touch of the sinister lurking throughout. The word quiet which is embedded in the title is equally apt. Few words are spoken, and those few are short and terse. What the reader experiences is like viewing a movie. We see pictures, carefully drawn like a series of photogenic scenes. Sounds are not described, nor do we know anything about the characters' internal lives, or what they are thinking. We barely know what their backgrounds are. What we do know, we discover through the actions of each character in the story. Nevertheless, the story is interesting and mysterious.
The action commences at a Gothic chateau on the outskirts of a small French village. The time period could be Victorian, but then we discover the characters have mobile phones which play a part in keeping the action moving. The main character, Olivia, is often just referred to as the woman. She has returned home with two young children and is running from a husband who abused her. She is curiously distant with her children, yet at other times, shows some compassion toward them. The children seems to live in a world of their own making. Other characters are soon brought into the story: a brother and his wife who has just lost a child in birth, with weird consequences; and the faithful retainer, Ida, and her twin helpers. Each character has a part to play in their remote and disfunctional relationships.
If you want a quick read, perhaps for a plane trip, this book may be of interest. It is strange, moody and dark, but well written. I came away feeling like I had spent two hours at the cinema. The characters and their motives remained with me for some time.
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