The Labyrinth (Lohrey novel)

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The Labyrinth
Author Amanda Lohrey
CountryAustralia
Language English
GenreFiction
Publisher Text Publishing
Publication date
2020
Media typePrint
Pages256 pp
Preceded byA Short History of Richard Kline 

The Labyrinth (2020) is a novel by Australian writer Amanda Lohrey. [1] [2] [3]

Contents

It won the 2021 Miles Franklin Award, [4] [5] the 2021 Voss Literary Prize, [6] and the 2021 Prime Minister's Literary Award for Fiction. [7]

Abstract

"Erica Marsden’s son, an artist, has been imprisoned for homicidal negligence. In a state of grief, Erica cuts off all ties to family and friends, and retreats to a quiet hamlet on the south-east coast near the prison where he is serving his sentence.

"There, in a rundown shack, she obsesses over creating a labyrinth by the ocean. To build it—to find a way out of her quandary—Erica will need the help of strangers. And that will require her to trust, and to reckon with her past.

"The Labyrinth is a hypnotic story of guilt and denial, of the fraught relationship between parents and children, that is also a meditation on how art can both be ruthlessly destructive and restore sanity. It shows Amanda Lohrey to be at the peak of her powers." (Publication summary) [1]

Critical reception

Linda Godfrey, in The Newtown Review of Books, noted: "The subtitle of the book is ‘a pastoral’, indicating that Erica is moving to the country to seek a simpler life. Though we don't know what her recent life in the city was like, she carries with her a history that she hopes to assuage by living in a small town, close to nature, and building her labyrinth." [8]

In The Guardian, Jen Webb wrote: "A labyrinth is a powerful trope, and here it drives not only the narrative and Erica herself, but also a range of possibilities of meaning for the various characters with whom her life becomes intertwined. Though she had intended to isolate herself, the forces of kindness capture her and, gradually, she connects with those around her." [9]

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 "The Labyrinth". Austlit. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
  2. ↑ Lamond, Julieanne (23 May 2023), A Mad Resistance [Review of The Labyrinth], Writing and Society Research Centre, retrieved 20 June 2023
  3. ↑ Scerri, Jane (S34391) (2021), Amanda Lohrey - The Labyrinth, Melbourne: The Text Publishing Company, 2020, (pp. 256), ISB: 9781922330109, Penrith, N.S.W., Western Sydney University, retrieved 20 June 2023{{citation}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  4. ↑ "Miles Franklin Literary Award won by Tasmanian author Amanda Lohrey for The Labyrinth". ABCNews. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
  5. ↑ Amanda Lohrey wins the Miles Franklin Literary Award, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 1000, retrieved 20 June 2023
  6. ↑ "Lohrey wins 2021 Voss Literary Prize". Books+Publishing. 15 December 2021. Archived from the original on 15 December 2021. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
  7. ↑ "PMLA 2021 winners announced". Books+Publishing. 15 December 2021. Archived from the original on 14 December 2021. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
  8. ↑ "AMANDA LOHREY The Labyrinth: A pastoral. Reviewed by Linda Godfrey". Newtown Review of Books. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
  9. ↑ "The saddest of stories, beautifully told: a guide to the Miles Franklin 2021 shortlist". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
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