Over the course of his stellar writing life, Peter Carey has explored his homeland of Australia in such highly acclaimed novels as Oscar and Lucinda, True History of the Kelly Gang and Amnesia. Writing at the peak of his powers, Carey takes us on ...

NUBClub was split on this novel about a time-trial race through Australia that destroys the myths of the two protagonists. About half of us enjoyed the journey of discovery that Willy and Irene went through, particularly the way that racism was depicted and Willy's first unconscious and then deliberate attempts to tell the stories of the aboriginal people. We also liked following Irene on her disillusionment with her husband Titch and how she too faces her internal racism. The other half of NUBClub was not as impressed. They found the end of the book confusing, and we all agreed that Willy's time on the "plantation" was a bit unclear. None of us were satisfied with Irene's ending -- we felt the author just didn't resolve her story -- but that pointed to the overall direction that Carey took in the novel, half-explaining things and leaving a lot unsaid. A lot of the difference in opinion on this book hooked on that point, but the problems with the ending meant none of us considered it a favorite. Overall, there were lots of great points (the horror of the farm, the use of maps to tell different histories, the race as a metaphor for navigating the world, the beautifully pointed racism of Titch denying Willy's history), but the book as a whole left many of us unsatisfied.