The Groundsmen

The Groundsmen is a gorgeously written, yet very dark novel which explores issues of sexual abuse in a disturbingly dysfunctional family. It is told through first person narration with the point of view switching between five family members: Cally and her husband Louis, their daughters Andi and Cassie, and Louis' brother Toby. Each character speaks in a stream-of-consciousness style so, as readers, we are party to their innermost thoughts while also witnessing conversations and actions. A warning to potential readers: these thoughts, especially those of the male characters, are frequently chauvinistically repulsive and I found both Louis and Toby to be extremely offensive! I appreciated each family member having a distinctive voice so it was always easy for me to remember whose point of view I was reading.

Lynn Buckle has a wonderfully poetic style of writing which I felt worked well here. I couldn't always be sure exactly what was going on because actions and events are more often alluded to than explicitly described. This is completely in keeping with The Groundsmen's theme of secrecy and hidden lives so is cleverly effective although frustrating at times. My sympathies initially lay most clearly with young Cassie and her older sister Andi. Andi often comes across as the only adult in the family as she has to shoulder much of the responsibility for her sister. Cally was more difficult for me to understand as her reclusive behaviour made me question some of my own ideas.

The Groundsmen is a saddening novel. It has a depressing authenticity especially in its presentation of repeated cycles of abusive behaviour and how difficult both abused and abusing characters find it to break away from what has gone before. I found the book challenging both emotionally and technically. This deep and thoughtful story won't have mainstream bestseller appeal, but is certainly a rewarding read.