Verandah people : stories

In these poignant stories, the "verandah people" are author Jonathan Bennett's own compatriots: Australians for whom the ever-present verandah is both a stage and a private viewing space, a shelter from heat and disquieting bushland, and a seductive barrier to participation in the wider world.

Most effective are his portraits of women, many of them young dreamers and searchers.

A subtle sense of loss pervades Verandah People, but the overall impression is dreamlike - these characters inspire compassion even as they watch the world go by from the safety of their verandahs.