A group of friends buy an abandoned mining town in the Australian bush, hoping for a idyllic escape. But in Kate Mildenhall's fourth novel, The Hiding Place, the dream quickly unravels into lies, betrayal and death.
The plan is orchestrated by Lou, a queer, white progressive who sees herself and her friends as good people. Four families buy into the property: Lou and her wife Marnie; friends Flick and Josie with their partners; Lou's sister Ness; and their mother Avril. But tensions simmer beneath the surface – one resident grows psychoactive plants, two are having an affair, and financial stresses mount.
On their first weekend, a series of unwelcome events disrupts Lou's vision. A deer causes Ness to crash her trailer, squatters camp by the river, and a boundary dispute with a neighbour turns ugly. Mildenhall alternates between the perspectives of Lou, Phil, Ness, Flick, Josie and Lou's teenage daughter Stella, revealing the secrets held by each character.
Stella, aged 16, emerges as the most compelling narrator. Her sardonic yet hopeful voice exposes the hypocrisy of the adults, particularly their attitudes toward the squatters and their own claim to the land. She notes that if the squatters were First Nations or refugees, the adults would welcome them, but instead they see them as trespassers.
The novel balances thriller conventions with social satire, skewering the middle-class pretensions of its characters. Less than halfway through, one character is dead, and the story accelerates toward a tense resolution. While the ambitious scope leads to some superficial resolutions, The Hiding Place delivers a satisfying, edge-of-your-seat read.
