The Labyrinth is the first novel I've read by Australian author Amanda Lohrey. This book won loads of prize in 2021, winning the Miles Franklin Award, the Voss Literary Prize and the Prime Minister's Award for fiction.
At the beginning of the story Erica Marsden, the narrator, impulsively retired from work and moved to a fibro beach shack in a quiet village on the south coast of New South Wales. Erica wanted to be near her son Daniel, who was incarcerated in a nearby prison after being found guilty of homicide.
Despite Erica's wish to be socially isolated (mostly so she wouldn't be known as Daniel's mother), she found herself making connections in the local community as she planned a labyrinth for her yard. Eventually Erica's labyrinth was built with the help of an illegal immigrant, a stonemason who lived in a tent in the nearby National Park.
The writing is hypnotic. I read this book slowly and carefully, which suited the contemplative story.
I investigated labyrinths, and learned there is a difference between labyrinths and mazes. I looked at various labyrinth patterns and at photos of famous labyrinths, including one on the floor of the Cathedral of Chartres. I also learned that there are many labyrinths in Australia that can be visited by the public and while I have no intention of building a labyrinth myself, am hopeful of visiting one in somebody else's garden.
I also appreciated and agreed with the advice that Erica's father had always given her and his patients, that to build something is a kind of therapy. This idea was taken from Jung, with the disclaimer that Erica's father thought Jung was a charlatan. Other themes of the story included Erica's grief and guilt regarding her son and his crime, madness, obsession and finding peace. The twists and turns of the labyrinth theme perfectly matched the story, which was about Erica's journey to find some sort of peace rather than finding a magical resolution for her problems.
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