Infinite Splendours

The title of Sofia Laguna’s book, Infinite Splendours could be considered deceptive. We all wish for infinite splendour in our lives, but in fact, this novel is dark and confronting.

It begins in 1953 when Laurie Lohman is 10 years old. He and his mother and brother Paul, move to a house with a view of the fictional Mount Wallis in the Grampians. For the first few chapters, everything is splendid and Laurie is a natural painter with an eye for colour. It’s a book, so you know something has to go wrong. But even without that expectation, the sense of peril is there from the beginning, beautifully subtle and disturbing for its vagueness.

I did not know what was going to happen. Being a book club book I came to it blind and appreciated not knowing. Most reviews reveal and would not be a spoiler, so go and look if you need to know, but there is something special about a plot unfolding in the way an author intended without anticipation and knowledge. I won’t be telling.

As it turns out Laurie won’t stray far from his beloved mountain range or the isolated 40-acre farm where he grew up. His decline is heartbreaking, and the menace extends the sense of foreboding from the open paragraphs to the final outcome.

Laurie’s life revolves around an art book, Letters from the Masters. The images and words inspire Lawrence and descriptions of the art he makes are a highlight. The house is overrun with canvases but Laurie’s contact with the outside world is limited.

Infinite Splendours is a tender portrait of the impact of trauma which does not fall into the trap of demonising anyone. It is beautifully written as would be expected of an author who is a Miles Franklin Winner.

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