Beneath the Wild Fig Tree
Fiona Preston
- 'An
- engrossing
- and
- vivid
- novel
- brimming
- with
- compassion
- for
- nature.'
- Anna
- Iltnere,
- The
- Sea
- Library
- Magazine.An
- Australian
- family
- drama
- unfolds
- across
- a
- Bass
- Strait
- island,
- Sydney,
- Adelaide
- and
- Hobart.
- There
- is
- betrayal
- but
- it's
- not
- clear
- who
- should
- be
- forgiven
- and
- who
- should
- forgive.Wheeler
- relishes
- freedom,
- music
- and
- the
- sea.
- Freya
- is
- engrossed
- with
- the
- past,
- and
- Nicky
- takes
- solace
- in
- nature,
- believing
- parents
- should
- never
- be
- trusted
- as
- she
- adapts
- to
- a
- remote
- island
- raucous
- with
- birdlife.
- Disaster
- might
- have
- begun
- with
- a
- leaf
- slowly
- falling
- in
- 1984,
- but
- a
- fateful
- phone
- call
- in
- 2000
- will
- challenge
- her
- perspective
- on
- the
- past
- and
- her
- relationship
- with
- her
- mother.Beneath
- the
- Wild
- Fig
- Tree
- interweaves
- these
- two
- transformative
- years
- into
- a
- kaleidoscopic
- coming
- of
- age
- story
- that
- explores
- the
- complexities
- of
- relationships,
- the
- interplay
- of
- grief,
- happiness,
- transience
- and
- interconnectedness,
- while
- celebrating
- the
- luminosity
- of
- the
- natural
- world.This
- is
- a
- novel
- that
- will
- particularly
- appeal
- to
- readers
- who
- enjoy
- strong
- characters,
- a
- hint
- of
- intrigue,
- the
- tang
- of
- the
- ocean
- and
- a
- vibrant
- sense
- of
- place.'In
- my
- 20+
- years
- as
- an
- editor,
- I've
- rarely
- seen
- such
- talent
- from
- a
- new
- writer.'
- Jessica Perini
