Book review: The Ledge by Christian White

The Ledge by Christian White is yet another addictive novel from the talented writer. It’s set in the present but leaps back about twenty-five years into the past via a journal kept by Justin, a teenage boy, one of a tight-knit group of four. White grabs readers attention from the opening as bones are found and we’re catapulted back into a past that the boys have never been able to escape, while at the same time reluctant to revisit now.

As the book progresses we realise White’s been sneaky with his narrative, leading us in one direction and we’ve made assumptions, only to realise we’re completely wrong. Which of course is the genius of his work and for me it rivalled the sleight of hand demonstrated in his second novel, The Wife and the Widow.

When human remains are discovered in a forest, police are baffled, the locals are shocked and one group of old friends starts to panic. Their long-held secret is about to be uncovered.

It all began in 1999 when sixteen-year-old Aaron ran away from home, drawing his friends into an unforeseeable chain of events that no one escaped from unscathed.

In The Ledge, past and present run breathlessly parallel, leading to a cliff-hanger nobody will see coming. This is a mind-bending new novel from the master of the unexpected.

White does a great job at introducing us to the boys – in the past via the journal, and in the present in person. Well, with one obvious exception. His character development is great as all four boys are very different, but inextricably bound. Not just by the events of the past, but by a childhood shared. I was about to travel away for a weekend with nine of my closest school friends for a mini 40yr reunion when I read this book and had extra cause to ponder those relationships, some lasting and others not as well as how those relationship are translated into adulthood.

Again White’s writing is magnificent, and turns of phrases exquisite…

The West Haven State Forest was a vast stretch of wilderness packed with red stringybark and peppermint gums. There were high rocky ledges and deep valleys that turned every shade of green, depending on the season. The whole place was foaming* with wildlife. p 3

And this…

The more time I spent away from West Haven, the foggier it became in my mind, like some long-abandoned Mayan temple shrouded with vines and decay, the jungle closing in on all sides. p 59

White’s storytelling is gripping, creating a sense of foreboding and suspense even though there’s no threat in the present. And there’s a weird juxtaposition challenging readers, expecting one thing but getting another. Wanting closure and a conclusion but not the one we get. Angry or horrified at the events that unfolded but conflicted at the same time. Just masterful.

The Ledge by Christian White was published by Affirm Press in Australia and is now available.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher for review purposes. 

*Italics my addition because…. ‘mwah’ *kissing fingers*