Paula Xiberras
Fleur McDonald’s latest novel is a departure from rural romance. ‘The missing pieces of us’ is a novel of suburbia about family.
At the heart of the novel is Lauren Ramsey, a dedicated teacher and a mother. The novel introduces us to Lauren, who at the time has concerns about one of her students, a little boy who arrives at school with bruises.
The first thought is that the little boy may have been ill-treated. Fleur shows us that we are all part of the human family who care for each other, related or not; however there is a danger that Lauren’s concentration on the little boy could be causing her to neglect her own daughter who is reaching the precarious teenage years when she needs her mother the most.
A young woman Tamara, who has had a difficult childhood and provides a link between Lauren and her daughter Skye. Lauren, who has had skin cancer in the past, is diagnosed with another bout of the condition, this time a more serious one which leads her to consider delving into her family history, difficult because she was adopted.
Fleur as well as being an accomplished author has set up a non-profit organisation aiming to break the silence on domestic violence, a topic she has covered in previous writing.
‘The missing pieces of us’ is out now published by Allen and Unwin.
