The Lifeboat (Zacharey Jane, UQP, $23.95 pb, ISBN 9780702236426, April) ***

When a man and a woman are found in a lifeboat off the coast of an unnamed island state, a young immigrant interpreter finds herself with the unenviable task of solving the mystery of their identities. Our castaways suffer total amnesia and don’t even remember how or if they know each other. The young woman, it seems, is the only one who cares for their welfare. While digging in her single-minded attempt to solve their mystery, she also searches for her own life meaning and an end to her self-imposed loneliness. It is clear that Zacharey Jane possesses literary talent, with lyrical prose often invoking impressive imagery—‘The house felt like a cat with a full belly, the breeze purring through the open windows.’ The author’s decision, however, to never give a name to any of her characters or the location of the story gives it a somewhat ethereal mood, but also made it hard for this reader to connect with the tale or its protagonists. Though successfully creating intrigue, mystery and touches of wonder, The Lifeboat, ultimately doesn’t quite satisfy. As a fable, however, the premise has much potential and will appeal to lovers of others in the genre such as The Life of Pi or The Alchemist.

Scott Whitmont is the owner of Lindfield Bookshop and Lindfield Children’s Bookshop

This review from Australian Bookseller & Publisher magazine is reproduced by kind permission of Thorpe-Bowker, a division of R R Bowker LLC. © Copyright 2008, Thorpe-Bowker