‘In this compelling allegorical narrative, [the protagonist] Quinn becomes an angel of the avenging kind. There are visions in this ruined country and horrors wholly appropriate to an apocalyptic time of war and, following it, the more lethal Spanish influenza ... As in The Low Road, Womersley succeeds in reinventing the Australian landscape.’
Simon Mann, Australian Financial Review
‘Womersley cleverly unspools his grim story, cranking up the tension with Dickensian flourishes and questions about war, existence, love and evil.’
Agnes Nieuwenhuizen, Australian Literary Review
‘A literary, gothic-tinged thriller with rich characters, beautiful writing and a truly satisfying finish.’
Australian Women's Health
‘Bereft is a very haunting novel by a writer who knows how to pluck heart-strings.’
Ballarat Courier
‘A rich, gripping tale of love, loss, conflict and salvation ... This book is thoroughly enjoyable, compelling, moving, warm and completely memorable. I had that very rare experience of wanting to read it again, almost immediately. This book crosses the lines of popular fiction, literary fiction and mystery. It could be recommended to fans of Kate Grenville (though I think Womersley’s a more interesting writer), Tim Winton, Matthew Condon, Craig Silvey, Peter Carey, Peter Temple, Alex Miller and more.’ (4.5 STARS)
Angela Meyer, Bookseller & Publisher
‘This unabashedly gothic tale possesses such luminous beauty and emotional acuity that it has already evoked praise as lavish, if not more so, as that which greeted The Low Road ... Bereft strikes nary a false note as it maps out the haunting, ambiguous territory between the trauma of war and grief, memory and longing, in a story of injustice and revenge that haunts long after reading.’
Bron Sibree, Canberra Times
‘Reminiscent of Cormac McCarthy and William Faulkner, both in the bare beauty of its prose and and in the undercurrent of things strange and unexpected that swirls around its edges...a wholly memorable book.’
Diane Stubbings, Canberra Times
‘The quiet whispering tone of this book will linger long after you've finished it.’
Courier Mail
‘Just once in a while a thriller comes along that is so good it takes your breath away. Australian journalist Womersley's second novel does that in a heartbeat ... It's a thriller worthy of Hitchcock: taut, poignant and unexpected.’
Daily Mail (UK)
‘[Womersley] writes about the most intricate and difficult emotional terrain with eloquent sureness, and handles a gripping conclusion beautifully. Don't miss it.’
David Gaunt, Gleebooks Gleaner
‘Old and new Womersley fans should be pleased with this delicate rendering of love, loss and justice, which metes out equal portions of light and dark from a bygone era.’
Thuy Linh Nguyen, Kill Your Darlings
‘Womersley's gothic-tinged portrait of isolated, rural Australia devastated by war and flu is mesmerising.’ Four Stars
Mx
‘This is an extraordinary book — haunting, moving and exquisitely written, one that will stay with the reader long after it's been put down.’
Geraldine O'Brien, Notebook (Book of the Month)
‘A beautifully measured novel of murder and revenge, profound loss, and the possibility of faith and courage … Bereft is also a story about the power of faith, love and the imagination in an era when faith s breaking down, when “God is not watching us”.’
Overland
‘From the very first sentence he had me captivated. Bereft can be read as a Gothic novel, a crime novel, a ghost story, a thriller. Whatever, this is a book of searing, heart-wrenching brilliance that should appeal to a wide range of readers. Simply put, Bereft is one of the best books I’ve read this year.’
Irma Gold, Overland online
‘This beautiful tale of loneliness, injustice and war is so compelling you won't be able to put it down.’
Post Script
‘He's been compared to Cormac McCarthy. Pretty big shoes to fill. But donning a thick pair of socks. Womersley has a good shot in this follow-up to his lauded The Low Road… brooding Southern gothic goes feral NSW.’
Qantas Magazine
‘This is the first time I have read any of Womersley’s fiction and I was very impressed. His prose is lyrical and evocative and he conjures up the stark landscape of the Australian bush with the ease of a painter. His forays into his protagonist’s mind are always insightful … The themes of loss, memory and revenge are carefully explored and beautifully portrayed with a depth of feeling that makes this book a real page-turner; the more Womersley reveals, the more the reader wants to know. Womersley has a gift for prose and an expert use of language that I am sure will give longevity to his books.’
Nicki J Marcus, Suite101.com
‘From the hook of its first sentence, Bereft is a hard book to put down … Womersley combines really beautiful and eloquent writing with a compelling story, and Bereft has a literary sensibility flavoured with the drama of a mystery … Bereft is a haunting and beautiful novel that will surely deliver an excellent Australian writer to a much wider audience.’
Lucy Clark, Sunday Telegraph
‘Bereft is a bleak and brilliant performance that confirms [Womersley] as one of the unrepentantly daring and original talents in the landscape of Australian fiction … Few recent novels, Australian or otherwise, have such eloquence, prompted by the despair of sufferers who do not shirk the task of seeking the right words. Few lead us so fearlessly to familiar locations made strange and terrifying or to others that seem conjured by old magic … The last part of Bereft is frightening in a way that reminds one of why several reviewers of Womersley’s first novel made comparisons with Cormac McCarthy … This is an outstanding work of Australian fiction. Read it next.’
Peter Pierce, Sydney Morning Herald
‘Chris Womersley cements his place as one of Australia’s finest writers in this taut gothic suspense story.’
The Big Issue
‘Chris Womersley has written a narrative that grips like a dingo’s jaws, but at the same time gives us those glimpses into human motivation, that particular gift of evoking atmosphere, which characterise the most satisfying literature. The descriptions of the Australian bush, the physicality of its earth and wild life, have a precise and transporting intensity. So do the details of the small community, its impoverished lifestyle and rough, minimal possessions. But the real brilliance of the book lies in the character of Quinn and his slow emergence from the state of fear inflicted in the trenches, until he has the courage to face the aggressor. It is a journey towards maturity until eventually he must grapple with the bogeyman of childhood. This is a distinguishable novel.’
The Independent (UK)
‘[Womersley] succeeds, most of all, in creating small everyday moments stamped with truth … he offers the credibility and insight we seek in fiction.’
Time Out London
‘Harsh and disturbing as the story is it is impossible to put down and the reader will truly appreciate the title when they have finished … everyone is bereft and justice is a difficult thing to deliver.’
Mary Vernon, Townsville Bulletin
‘It must have been some expression on Chris Womersley’s face after the eureka moment when Bereft was born. First, excitement at the potential of setting an Australian gothic novel in the immediate aftermath of World War I, during the influenza epidemic that turned rural Australia into a patchwork of plague villages; then, anxiety that someone else might write it first. I would have hugged the manuscript to my person like Gollum’s ring.’
Geordie Williamson, Weekend Australian
‘Reading Bereft feels as though you are being whispered stories of horror, longing and betrayal in a voice that is at once irredeemably grief-stricken and infinitely comforting.’
Alice Nelson, West Australian
‘Bereft is a beautiful novel, which is a strange thing to say about a tale of so much loneliness, injustice and anguish. But somehow Chris Womersley peers deep into the suffering heart and sees beyond the pain that humans inflict on each other, to a place where dignity, loyalty and even affection might blossom. He writes with such compelling power it is barely possible to put the book down.’
Debra Adelaide
‘Bereft is a dark brooding story of war, family secrets and a man’s search for justice. Chris Womersley knows how to shine light into the darkest corners of rural Australia.’
Michael Robotham
