The Conversations at Curlow Creek by David Malouf is a novel which reads meditatively. It centres on the conversations of a convict who is sentenced to hang at dawn and a soldier, Adair, who guards him on his last night.

Their conversations cover every imaginable topic, from dreams and memories of their homeland to redemption and justice.

The novel floats easily between narrative and the silent, inner workings of Adair's mind. With the use of gentle language we are given access to Adair's history and the interwoven powers of will and destiny which have brought him to the point of sitting on the floor of a makeshift cell, listening to a dying man's last words.

With a brutal honesty, we are allowed to observe how these two men work to make sense of their lives and come to peace with who they are and what lies before them.

Both the simplicity of the convict's way of thought and the sincerity of Adair's methodology force the reader to become contemplative and encourage a level of self analysis which has become unusual in today's society.

The Globe and Mail said the story climaxes in an ending which is "as elusive as the apparent reversal of the moon above an alien night." Which is, I think, a very nice way of saying that the ending is unsatisfying, and perhaps even obtuse. While we are drawn into the novel by Adair's strength of character and honesty, the novel ends with Adair adopting a "que sera, sera" attitude about the most important relationship in his life.

Nevertheless, The Conversation At Curlow Creek is a wonderfully written novel and well worth reading, particularly if you have the time for introspection once you've put the novel down.

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