REVIEW: The Survivors by Jane Harper

Jane Harper has once again used her magical touch to create a visceral atmosphere fraught with seething, unspoken emotions and powerful elemental forces in her new novel, The Survivors. It’s set in the small Tasmanian town of Evelyn Bay, one drowning in painful memories. It’s a town built along a perilous coast full of dangerous labyrinthine caves, a town where the remains of a historical shipwreck lie broken on the ocean floor and an eerie monument built to honour the survivors is an ever present reminder of the past.

Jane Harper

Kieran Elliott’s life was torn apart twelve years ago when a sudden and devastating storm laid waste to Evelyn Bay. That was the day his brother died, the same day young Gabby Birch disappeared. For over a decade, Kieran has carried a terrible burden of guilt over his role in the tragedy. He blames himself for his brother’s death, and he is not alone. Many people in the town still hold him responsible.

Returning to Evelyn Bay with his girlfriend and their baby daughter, Kieran soon finds himself plunged into a fresh tragedy. The murder of a young woman has rocked the foundations of the town and stirred up a lot of old secrets and upsetting memories.

The Survivors is first and foremost a deeply compelling mystery, but it’s also a fascinating exploration of grief and guilt – and the very different ways these emotions can shape people over time. While some are broken and twisted by their guilt, others are tempered and made stronger for living with their regrets. This theme is played out in several ways throughout the novel and adds a poignant layer of emotional complexity to the whole story. And because this is a Jane Harper novel she also finds time to explore a wealth of other themes, including the damaging influence that toxic masculinity can have on young people and the pain of losing a family member to dementia.

Jane Harper has a way of weaving such a powerful sense of place into her writing that the climate and the geography of the setting start to feel like characters in the story. In The Survivors, this is masterfully done once again. Evelyn Bay is as alive to me as the drought stricken town of Kiewarra from The Dry, the menacing wilderness of The Giralang Ranges in Force of Nature and the vast sun-baked sands of outback Queensland in The Lost Man. And now we have Evelyn Bay … a place that is dominated by seas and storms. The inexorable rise and fall of the tides, the destructive fury of the ocean, the dark allure of the fathomless caves and the ominous cawing of birds all combine to create a very distinct mood. I honestly felt as though I could taste the salty sea air, hear the crashing of the waves against rocks and feel the cold seeping into my bones – such is the immersive power of Jane Harper’s writing!

Who killed Bronte Laidler? Why was Gabby Birch never found? What really happened twelve years ago, during the storm? Can Kieran rely on his memory of the day his brother died, or is he missing some of the facts? As the tension rises and unanswered questions pile up, pretty soon the reading experience starts to feel like a deep sea dive, sinking further and further into the past to uncover the truth. (Please forgive all these ocean themed similes, I really can’t help myself.)

The Survivors is yet another perfectly balanced, finely honed, deliciously atmospheric thriller from a writer who just seems to keep raising her own benchmark with each new book. I completely fell into this story and could not pull myself out until it was finished. If this is your first Jane Harper novel, enjoy! I’m quite jealous of you, actually. You’ll have three more Jane Harper books to read when you’re finished The Survivors. And if you’re already a fan then rest assured, this book will give you exactly what you want.

—The Survivors by Jane Harper (Pan Macmillan Australia) is out on the 22nd of September.

The Survivors

by Jane Harper

Kieran Elliott's life changed forever on the day a reckless mistake led to devastating consequences. The guilt that still haunts him resurfaces during a visit with his young family to the small coastal town he once called home.

Kieran's parents are struggling in a community which is bound, for better or worse, to the sea, that is both a lifeline and a threat. Between them all is his absent brother, Finn. When a body is discovered on the beach, long-held secrets threaten to emerge. A sunken wreck, a missing girl, and questions that have never washed away...

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About the Contributor

Sarah McDuling

Sarah McDuling is Booktopia's Category Manager for Children's and Young Adult Books. She has been in the bookselling game for almost a decade and a dedicated booklover since birth (potentially longer). At her happiest when reading a book, Sarah also enjoys talking/writing/tweeting about books. In her spare time, she often likes to buy a lot of books and take photographs of books. You can follow her on Twitter and Instragram @sarahmcduling

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