[Cocko]

Interesting comments. I've read both Homesickness and Eucalyptus and found the two books to be wildly different, yet both strangely appealing.

I was unsure what to expect with this latest offering considering Bail is a guy who has written only four novels over a 28 year period. It's weird, I read Eucalyptus first and like many loved it, not long after I dug out a copy of Homesickness and found it flat and laboured in comparison.

Of course not all novels by an author are equal, but what is odd about my reading of Bail's work is that Homesickness has lingered, its themes more memorable, if not its characters. Maybe that's just because I like his satire of Australian's at large, but I can't help but think Homesickness needed some gestation to reveal its qualities.

I expect that I will give The Pages a go also, it will be interesting to see if t is as immediately enjoyable like Eucalyptus or a hard fought win like Homesickness, or akin to your thoughts, something a little less inspiring.