Where There is a Will

 Michel Vimal Du Monteil

‘Where there is a will’ provides the clue to the story of Paul Lambert, a keen surfer who disappears in monstrous waves off the NSW coast. Presumed dead, his wife, Jill, gathers their family of godchildren from around Australia and overseas. The circumstances surrounding the godchildren’s relationships with Paul and Jill and each other are complex, adding crucial layers to the story.

Though Paul survives his surfing misadventure, he is left with memory problems and a nagging dread about incidents in the past. One thread of the story concerns his search for identity, involving a journey up the east coast of Australia. The other thread revolves around Jill and the godchildren at her home on Sydney’s Northern Beaches.

The writing is excellent – descriptions of place and action are engaging and well-crafted. It is obvious the author knows his way around a surfboard, swells, currents, fishing, boats, in fact, every water-based activity described in the book. The opening chapters, involving Paul’s dip in an ocean whipped up by cyclonic forces, is dramatic and tense. In contrast, there is warmth and domesticity to the scenes where characters prepare food and drink. When at Jill’s beachside home, I particularly liked the good-humoured descriptions of the two dogs, their antics and behaviour natural both to each other and their doting human companions.

An enjoyable read.

Review by Diane Clarke