The Luminaries Eleanor Catton (Publisher: Victoria University Press, 2013)
A dozen men arrange to meet to share their knowledge of these problems. What is behind it all, and are the problems related? The writer does not appear to know the answers either, and so begins a long and intriguing account of life in the nineteenth century in a colonial frontier town. Each of the men represent an essential part of the life and activity of the town, and each character is finely drawn to show the service they bring to the town and the manner in which each conducts his business.
Only two women really take part in the story: the wily, clever owner of the boarding house in Dunedin, and the somewhat innocent, lost and exploitable young woman who makes her acquaintance.
Into this scenario comes an adventurous young lawyer, travelling out to the colonies to gain experience and, possibly, fortune. Having just arrived in Hokitika after an extremely uncomfortable and alarming trip by sea from Dunedin, his curiosity is aroused by the presence in the lounge room of his hotel of this group of really serious men, who are obviously on edge, wanting to share their experiences with each other, but not in front of the stranger.
As the story unfolds, the stars shift in the night sky. Does the movement of the stars explain or affect the destiny of the humans who work and play on Earth? The writer seems to think that it does: what else determines when a person’s number comes up so that they are either the unlucky victim or the fortunate recipient of an unusual event?
This book was awarded the prestigious Booker Prize in 2014. It is a great read.
