What The Light Hides

Description

"Vera and David have been passionately in love since the day they met more than twenty years ago. They live in the Blue Mountains where Vera is a sculptor and David makes furniture. Their son, Ben, is at university in Sydney. Or at least he was. What the Light Hides begins five months after Ben's death, an apparent suicide. Vera is trying to pick up the pieces, but David cannot let go, cannot believe that Ben is dead. He goes to Sydney, ostensibly to work, but cannot get Ben out of his mind. He keeps seeing him in the street, visits the room where he was living, goes in pursuit of Ben's friends. His refusal to come to terms with the death of his son is destroying his relationship with Vera, but he cannot help himself, in spite of all the evidence. David is risking everything. Mette Jakobsen's gifts of delicate and empathetic observation are on display in this tender and moving novel, a much-anticipated follow-up to her debut, The Vanishing Act. "

Reviews

'A beautiful, moving fable. The Vanishing Act is one of the best books I have read in a long time.' Eva Hornung on The Vanishing Act 'A perfectly poised, fable-like tale of loss, written with delightful whimsy, deep empathy and a beguiling sense of innocence. This book is a gem.' Graeme Base on The Vanishing Act 'Mette Jakobsen's first novel is a gossamer web, a work of fragile beauty...[The Vanishing Act] stages a vibrant tournament between the life of reason and that of imagination.' Saturday Age on The Vanishing Act 'Jakobsen's debut novel is a delectable delight, a fetching fable that is both heartbreaking in its poignancy and breathtaking in its delicacy.' Booklist on The Vanishing Act 'A charming first novel, The Vanishing Act is like a little girl's music box: it's alive with music, intrigue and sparkle.' Courier Mail on The Vanishing Act

Author description

Mette Jakobsen was born in Copenhagen, Denmark, and now lives in Newtown, Sydney. She has a PhD in Creative Writing and a BA in philosophy. In 2004 she graduated from NIDA's Playwrights Studio and several of her plays have been broadcast on ABC Radio National. Her novels are The Vanishing Act, shortlisted for the Commonwealth Book Prize in 2012, and What the Light Hides.