Detachment Theory

Richard Woolley Author House, $35

Joy is married to Stephen Manley, the eldest of three brothers raised in wealthy surrounds in England, with all three educated at the private Brokebadderly Boarding School. Joy and Stephen live in Auckland, she a journalist and he a university professor. They are happily married and enjoying their careers.

Stephen does not seek any contact with his family, whereas Joy, by contrast, has, and still enjoys strong bonds in a part-Māori family. Could this difference be attributed to their respective upbringing childhoods and education?

Anonymous and threatening messages on Twitter cause Joy to realise that there might be much more to Stephen’s past and the isolation from family he has in New Zealand. She convinces him to travel to Britain by cruise ship but she arrives alone, still determined to find out what happened to the boys at Brokebadderly Boarding School.

Richard Woolley has written what I think is a brilliant novel and one that invites the reader to explore the many and lasting consequences of family tragedy. The story unfolds unpredictably as Joy dares to uncover the awful events and extracts the truth. I agree that it is “an intricate and compelling psychological thriller”.