In medical circles in Tasmania the able, thrusting and free-thinking Dr David Truskett, an immigrant from Britain, was not always popular. Indeed, certain of his colleagues might be said to be out to get him.
As he built up his practice and a small circle of family friends, events lay in wait for him. First, the futile death of a friend, then the intrusion of the brutal life of a group of young layabouts led by Wally Harback, a masterfully drawn figure of contemporary amorality.
But the biggest test is yet to come: Dr Truskett faces the dilemma of whether or not to abort the child of a young and innocent girl. Polli Szilagyi is a victim of pack rape - an occurrence of increasing frequency in western life. Her compassion for her mother, a victim of experimental torture in Auschwitz during the war, makes it impossible for Polli to reveal either her pregnancy or its cause.
The fact that abortion is illegal in Australia provides the climax to this compelling story. But James Barlow's skill lies above all in weaving into his fast-moving narrative the universal question concerning the morality or otherwise of ending the life of an unborn child, irrespective of what the law says.
Genre: Literary Fiction
As he built up his practice and a small circle of family friends, events lay in wait for him. First, the futile death of a friend, then the intrusion of the brutal life of a group of young layabouts led by Wally Harback, a masterfully drawn figure of contemporary amorality.
But the biggest test is yet to come: Dr Truskett faces the dilemma of whether or not to abort the child of a young and innocent girl. Polli Szilagyi is a victim of pack rape - an occurrence of increasing frequency in western life. Her compassion for her mother, a victim of experimental torture in Auschwitz during the war, makes it impossible for Polli to reveal either her pregnancy or its cause.
The fact that abortion is illegal in Australia provides the climax to this compelling story. But James Barlow's skill lies above all in weaving into his fast-moving narrative the universal question concerning the morality or otherwise of ending the life of an unborn child, irrespective of what the law says.
Genre: Literary Fiction
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Used availability for James Barlow's In All Good Faith