The Weaver Fish by Robert Edeson

Fremantle Press, 2014. ISBN 9781922 089526.
(Age: Adult and mature secondary readers). Norwegian-British logician, linguist and dream theorist, Edvard Tossentern disappears when a research balloon is lost over the South China Sea. He was investigating the weaver fish, named for their method of killing. When he reappears, he has changed. This section of The Weaver Fish is written as an academic mystery, with occasional footnotes, and will also draw in readers of non-fiction.
The book becomes a thriller almost halfway through when it changes its focus to the character of Richard Worse. Like many of the other characters, he is quite stylised. He seems to be a spy with exceptional technical and mathematical ability. He joins forces with Millie Misgivingston to find her brother. The storylines merge.
Names intrigue in this novel: one character is called Spoiler, another Walter Reckless. There are also a range of text types, including reports and letters. The fabricated Foreword and Acknowledgement pages set the tone for an extraordinary and exhilarating reading experience by debut novelist Robert Edeson, whose background in mathematics and science create a novel of cutting-edge conception, style and structure.
Joy Lawn