I was thinking about how harsh I’d been about the previous book, before I’d even finished it. The ending really threw me because I felt I hadn’t understood what had happened. Did the Trey character take over Eric’s body, or had Eric himself been freed to join his smiley-face-tattoed soulmate? Either way it still felt like fluff to me. I know hardly anyone else my age (or anyone) who shares my taste in books and sometimes I wonder if mine is a willing and deliberate divergence. I find myself enjoying writings by older writers – books that describe people who come to terms with disappointments or tragedy. Is this what I need nowdays? Such a book was Alex Miller’s forgettably titled Landscape of Farewell which I consumed in a day or so. It’s a sister novel to Journey to the Stone Country I think. 
The major themes described were ones of kinship, dignity, coming to terms with events of the past, and finding wonderful things about the everyday. Universal stuff I suppose. The contrast between this and the previous book was a huge relief to me. Despite listing these ideas, I’m not sure in a week’s time that I’ll be able to remember much of it either, but for me it was like laying in a warm bath. The pages just flicked by effortlessly. It’s so lovely to discover another Australian writer whose back catalogue I can seek out. 4.5 stars.