Image: echopublishing.com.au
Emma Viskic presents us with an intricately plotted mystery thriller for her first novel. If it occasionally lacks a little pace, it is nonetheless gripping. Her realistic blow-by-blow descriptions of fights make you shiver as well as wonder where an accomplished classical clarinetist, as Viskic apparently is, has learned about serious rough and tumble.
It is exciting to be introduced to a detective, Caleb Zelic, who is almost completely deaf. He is also profoundly human, with frailties which many readers would recognise in themselves, including a streak of obstinacy that both leads him into trouble and towards success. Caleb is prickly about his disability but his deafness has sharpened his observational abilities. And while some of his friends use sign language, Caleb manages well by lip-reading – a skill which obviously does not translate to the use of the phone but does enable him to Skype. Demonstrably, however, his deafness leads him to depend heavily on his partner, Frankie, who is another character we come to know, with her own set of problems.
Viskic describes the challenges of deafness with skill and empathy and also adroitly catches the reactions of those familiar with deaf people and those not. That this insight occurs in the context of unravelling a mystery and in an atmosphere fraught with danger makes it all the more significant.
The action takes place in various parts of Melbourne and in the fictional Resurrection Bay, which is reminiscent of a smaller Portsea. The name ‘resurrection’ conjures the notion of a second chance and Caleb is indeed granted an opportunity to grab one; whether he succeeds in doing so forms part of the story.
The dialogue in the novel is exceptional and is especially effective when it includes a touch of humour, which helps to leaven the disasters, fears and threats that permeate the plot. But the humour is not limited solely to the dialogue; the wry voice of the narrator also supplies the occasional gem, such as the following: ‘He caught the 86 tram to Collingwood, his appearance gaining him no extra personal space. Wild hair, crazed eyes, blood-stained clothing – nothing new to the late-night Smith Street tram experience’ – which might appeal to those familiar with Collingwood and Fitzroy.
Resurrection Bay contains all the ingredients required to make a good mystery and a good thriller. That it falls a little short of the best in the genre is because the pace of the novel occasionally drags slightly. It also suffers from one or two coincidences too many. It is nonetheless an enjoyable book that should leave many readers looking forward to the next Caleb Zelic novel.
Rating: 3 stars out of 5
Resurrection Bay
Echo Publishing
September 2015
