The Spiral, by twice shortlisted Ned Kelly nominee Iain Ryan, begins with academic Dr Erma Bridges returning to a college campus in Brisbane for a disciplinary meeting about her inappropriate relationships with students. Erma believes that the complaint has been brought by disaffected research assistant Jenny Wasserman, who seems to have disappeared – as have quite a few female students over the years – until she turns up in Erma’s bedroom, shoots her, then turns the gun on herself.
Erma survives, and once she’s recuperated, tries to work out Jenny’s motive and to recover an interview she conducted with the reclusive Archibald Moder, writer of “Choose Your Own Adventure” stories. Erma, who is writing a book about interactive narratives for young adults, habitually plays fast and loose with the truth – the complaint against her is not unjustified – but the narrative becomes ever stranger as the fictional barbarian Sero begins to take over her dreams, and then a great deal darker as the reason for the repeated disappearances of young women is revealed. The Spiral is ambitious and well executed, with a zippy writing style and a high intensity, unpredictable narrative. Highly recommended.
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