- Bellevue, by Alison Booth. Reddoor Press, $24.99.
The division of assets after death often causes significant friction within families, bringing out the worst in people. The echoes can resound for decades, leading to splits, ostracism and bitter reprisals. Hence the saying: where's there's a will, there's a relative.
In Alison Booth's new novel, Bellevue, the inheritance of a property in the Blue Mountains offers an excellent launching point for exploring this kind of conflict and tension. Clare Barclay, the main protagonist, moves into a beautiful old house (Bellevue) that's been left to her by her aunt. It's a place of great emotional significance for Claire. She and her daughter stayed there after Claire's husband Jack accidentally shot himself. Claire and Jack had a good marriage, but after his death she discovered he'd been heavily in debt, a fact he had hidden from her.
Now that she's living at Bellevue, Claire is keen to re-establish in a fresh location and restore the old house and garden. But it's 1972, a time of booming land development. And, soon after she arrives in the Blue Mountains, Clare learns that developers are keen to acquire her new home, along with the neighbouring properties, so they can build a residential estate right to the cliff edge, as well as a hotel overlooking the valley.
The local community has mixed feelings about this. Most of the residents are against the proposed development, but the shop owners and council support it. In the past, Clare has been involved in activism against other land developments. So she quickly joins the local protest group and makes new friends as they try to persuade the State Minister to block the subdivision. That's when the threats begin, making Clare's new life increasingly difficult. As she tries to work out what's going on and who is responsible for the threats, she begins to uncover layers of secrecy, subterfuge and corruption.
In Bellevue, Booth employs her typical warm, easy style to create believable characters enmeshed in convincing real-life struggles. She expertly builds an undercurrent of tension and uncertainty, while simultaneously constructing a strong sense of community among those who unite against the developers.
There are many questions to keep the reader guessing. Who is behind the land grab? Who is trying to frighten Clare? Was his death really an accident? In the gradual unravelling of this cosy mystery, Booth touches on Blue Mountains history, strengths and weaknesses of small communities, friendship, activism, family flaws, rivalries, jealousy, and retribution.
- Karen Viggers' latest novel is The Orchardist's Daughter.
