The Cane
Maryrose Cuskelly
Reviewed by Helen
This is a compelling read, once I started it I didn’t want to put it down, when a young sixteen year old girl goes missing in the cane fields in north Queensland it sets everyone in the small town of Quala on edge, it is the 1970s and everything is very different than it is now they have no body and no suspects.
When young Janet McClymont goes missing walking through the ready to burn cane fields to do some babysitting, her parents are beside themselves and this starts the town keeping their children close to home and not being out alone, there is also the crush that is about to be started burning of the sugar cane is essential but two families are asked to hold off so Janet’s mother can continue to search for her daughter a month after she has gone missing the town is divided in their thinking.
Memories are surfacing about the death of a young girl ten years ago and that mystery was never really solved even though they said she drowned and now this, there are accusations everywhere, everyone has an opinion. When detectives are sent up from Brisbane to continue to investigate one of them is a woman and it is the 1970s there is lots of sexist opinions as well and Senior Detective Carmel Maitland has a hard time in the town but she shows her strength. Add in the teacher at the high school with his not so popular views and this book is a page turner.
This is a well written thriller that moved along as we get to see the opinions of the many people who live in this town including some of the young children who played a big part in the story, the cane farmers are a hard lot and remember it is the 1970s there were lots of racism and sexism back then, I started high school in 1970 and there were lots of memories this story bought up for me, but the search for answers to find Janet kept everything moving to a huge thrilling finish, so many fabulous characters in this one and it is a book that I would highly recommend.
My thanks to Allen & Unwin for my copy to read and review.
When young Janet McClymont goes missing walking through the ready to burn cane fields to do some babysitting, her parents are beside themselves and this starts the town keeping their children close to home and not being out alone, there is also the crush that is about to be started burning of the sugar cane is essential but two families are asked to hold off so Janet’s mother can continue to search for her daughter a month after she has gone missing the town is divided in their thinking.
Memories are surfacing about the death of a young girl ten years ago and that mystery was never really solved even though they said she drowned and now this, there are accusations everywhere, everyone has an opinion. When detectives are sent up from Brisbane to continue to investigate one of them is a woman and it is the 1970s there is lots of sexist opinions as well and Senior Detective Carmel Maitland has a hard time in the town but she shows her strength. Add in the teacher at the high school with his not so popular views and this book is a page turner.
This is a well written thriller that moved along as we get to see the opinions of the many people who live in this town including some of the young children who played a big part in the story, the cane farmers are a hard lot and remember it is the 1970s there were lots of racism and sexism back then, I started high school in 1970 and there were lots of memories this story bought up for me, but the search for answers to find Janet kept everything moving to a huge thrilling finish, so many fabulous characters in this one and it is a book that I would highly recommend.
My thanks to Allen & Unwin for my copy to read and review.
4 stars
Published February 1st 2022 by Allen & Unwin
