The Torch by Peter Twohig
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is a sequel to The Cartographer, Twohig’s debut novel centred on an eleven-year-old boy from Richmond in Melbourne with an encyclopedic knowledge of the drains which he uses to evade retribution from a murderer he witnessed in action. This time he is trying to find the boy who burnt down the family home forcing Blayney and his mother to move in with her father, former boxing champion and local crime boss, Archie Taggerty. The ‘torch’ of the title is both Keith, the young pyromaniac, and his father whose firelighting has been far more strategic. Once again Blayney gets involved in adult crimes whilst engaged in a rich fantasy life which helps him compensate for the death of his twin which he blames himself for. It is an entertaining read with a highly individual narrative voice full of humour and inventive similes.
It is a while since I read the first book and it picks up where the last one left off. It took a bit of time to remember who the characters were. The central character now twelve seems much more knowing than what I remember from the earlier book. Knowledge of the underground drains in Melbourne is once again crucial and the contrast of the female characters’ experiences during WW2 and as wives is very telling. Husbands frequently shoot through leaving women to bring up children alone. Blayney acquires a girlfriend but it’s really a boy’s world.