Anyone citing Daniel C. Dennett in the opening lines of a book review [Roger McDonald's MR DARWIN'S SHOOTER] is worthy of notice. Bradley's review was a stirring introduction to the qualities of this sensitive, talented writer. Wrack, his first novel, deserves more attention than it received. The Deep Field is a superb expression of his originality and narrative style.It seems pretentious to comment on a book on a site where the author has given us so much of his feelings in producing this book. Books are written for readers, however, and his own reflections expressed here cannot replace what any reader of this fine work may experience from delving into it.
Finding a timeless location grows increasingly difficult for us all. It began so for Anna, first caught up in China's struggle for hegemony, then in Sydney's urban blight. She finds one in the photographs of ammonite fossils she undertakes. Deep Time, a major concept introduced by geology and astrophysics during the past two centuries, becomes an underlying theme. The concept is enhanced by the realization that the story is related by a 300 year old woman, Anna's own daughter. In delving into time's immense span, Anna also seeks her missing brother, interrupted by the impact of Seth in her life. Seeking some simple answers to life's complexity, Anna seems to lose her grip on her own destiny, a problem we can all empathize with in today's society.
Bradley's setting of this story within the next generation is a brilliant stroke. We are not faced with unrealistic ideals of how the characters should behave and can experience full empathy with Anna and the world she enhabits. Speculation about the future is cast aside in favour of a heady realism and credibility. You will be challenged by this book, but not by the likelihood of its ideas or characters. They are current, real and Bradley paints both vividly.
