Temperance by Carol Lefevre

At the heart of this story is a bizarre event that has impact on the lives of all who were there. Nine year-old Fran and her younger brother Theo are awakened from their sleep on a camping trip by bright lights that seem to lift the car and their tent up into the air. There is a fire somewhere and a burning figure, but their mother Stella clamps her hands across their eyes so they do not see more.

No explanation is ever offered to them for what happened that night outside the town of Temperance. All the children know is that their mother drove them back home in a terrified hurry, and her friend who had been with them, the beautiful Mardi, has disappeared. It is a mystery, like the disappearance of their father, years before, when his car went over the side of a bridge. For Theo, especially, it is another bafflement, to be added to the departure of his beloved elder sister Tess from their home.

Stella becomes taut and aloof, Fran develops a stutter, and Theo is haunted by nightmares. The consequences of that strange night extend into their lives, and impact the paths they each take. Lefevre perfectly captures the fear, confusion and complicit silence around events the children cannot make sense of, and shows how those events shape their characters and their futures. It is only later in life that they dare to search back over what happened.

This is a fascinating story of mystery and of coming of age. Predominantly told by Fran, but also by Theo, it focusses on the concerns of the children in the exhausting life of a single hardworking mother in 1960’s Adelaide. Stella’s sole parent status and her relationship with the sassy free-spirited Mardi are met with disapproval by many watchful eyes. There is also the danger of pushy men and hooligan drunks. But within the community there are sparks of kindness in some unexpected places; the generosity of Mrs Caparelli and the friendship of Hughie the homeless man relieve the loneliness and insecurity of the two children.

Many Adelaide readers will recognise the places described in this book, and enjoy the story that is woven around them. Many will also recognise the less enlightened attitudes of a past era, and the prejudices that continue to manifest today. And most definitely readers will be absolutely drawn in by the unravelling of the mystery of that strange night in Temperance.

Themes: Mystery, Childhood, Memories, Trauma, Prejudice.

Helen Eddy