Book Review: Jack Maggs

jack_maggs_smJack Maggs: A Novel. Peter Carey. A third-person account of Jack Maggs, a Londoner shipped to Australia as a boy convict. It tells the story of Maggs’ return to London as a fully grown but immature man: now rich, physically imposing, dangerous, suffering from terrible headaches, determined to contact his son. Maggs is exploited by a novelist who practices mesmerism on him and learns his secrets. The omniscient point of view moves from character to character with a compelling narrative voice that ranges from wry to poetic. Historical detail is delivered in scene, through action, and never as a set piece.

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