By Christine Yunn-Yu Sun
The Ledge, by Melbourne-based author Christian White, is lauded as the “crime book of the year” and the “most exciting Christmas title of 2024”.
Commended as the “Master of Misdirection”, White’s previous three thrillers have sold over half a million copies in Australia and New Zealand.
But The Ledge is said to be his “most ambitious and twistiest book yet”.
And the book does not disappoint. It contains the kind of jaw-dropping plot twist that no one sees coming.
As soon as you have finished the book, you’d feel like starting it all over again, just to check out those subtle clues that you might have missed.
Like the renowned 1986 movie Stand by Me – which is based on Stephen King’s 1972 novella “The Body” – the story begins with the shocking discovery of human remains in a forest.
As the police investigate and the locals gossip, a group of old friends start to panic, fearing that their long-held secret is about to be exposed.
One of them is our first-person narrator and protagonist, a successful author who is trying to rescue his failed marriage.
Our protagonist’s return to his hometown is also a trip down the memory lane.
The journey brings us back to 1999, when 16-year-old Aaron went missing.
His best friends – Justin, Chen and Leeson – became involved, but how far would you – and should you – go to help your mate?
“[The Ledge is] just about four boys going through the hell of puberty, a love letter to two of the greatest books of all time: William Golding’s Lord of the Flies and Stephen King’s It,” explains White in his Author’s Note.
“This is the most personal book I’ve ever written, and not just because the protagonist is an author in his forties who writes thrillers… I actually knew what I wanted it to be. A crime thriller about the inevitable death of childhood!”
There are other universal themes in the story, including but not limited to toxic masculinity, domestic abuse, male puberty, and the inner dynamics of male friendship.
The female characters in the story also have crucial roles, and the protagonist’s love for his wife and daughter is heart- wrenching.
Ultimately, as summarised by fellow crime fiction author Michael Robotham, The Ledge is “a coming-of-age story where not everybody comes of age”.
This reviewer would recommend it as a wonderful holiday read.
