Review: The Death of Noah Glass by Gail Jones

How well can you ever really know your parents? That is the premise of The Death of Noah Glass, the winner of the Prime Minister Literary Awards and Finalist of the Miles Franklin Literary Award in 2019. Shortly after Noah Glass is found dead in the swimming pool at his apartment complex, the police begin asking his two children, former addict Martin and savant Evie, some surprising questions. Noah has just returned from Italy and is accused of an art theft. Their father, an art thief? It makes no sense whatsoever. Martin travels to Italy to investigate the crime for himself, while Evie moves in to Noah's apartment to do the same. Going between duel perspectives--that of Noah and his time in Italy and that of Martin and Evie's investigation, the reader learns about lives that are shaped not so much by what is said, but by what is not said.

This was an interesting read, and an interesting insight into the lives of three unusual people. The coincidence of one of the characters being named Katherine White (Noah's deceased wife and the mother of Martin and Evie,) threw me just a little, as did the fact that she was said to be from Adelaide and had long dark hair. That said, it did not detract from my enjoyment of the story. The author's prose is at once very intimate with her characters yet feels very distant at the same time, which I struggled with in places. That said, the plot is a compelling one and I found the ending quite satisfying. 

Recommended.

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