An odd title (which refers to the infinity symbol) and 50 or so pages of stilted, naive dialogue and irritating moralising, did not make me want to continue reading this novel. But then the writing starts to change. In fact, it blossoms, and I slowly became engrossed in the main character’s journey of self-knowledge in 1970s Australia and abroad. Elsie O’Reilly comes from a messy and devoted Catholic family in Adelaide, but cannot conform to their expectations that she settle down; ‘What I want, more than anything in the world, is to be myself ’. It is not self-indulgent navel-gazing that Elsie wants, but exploration and connection. She makes strong friendships with people wherever she goes in the world-Afghanistan, India and Greece. There is one special person in particular, a young man called Kiwi, but, being independent, he and Elsie seem to go their own ways. What McGrath has done is give us a memorable character who lives during times of personal and social change, and with whom we can also strongly connect. If only those first few dozen pages were freed from their ordinariness, this would be an outstanding first novel.

Sue Bond is a writer, reviewer and former bookseller

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