David Metzenthen, The secret history of the Rainbow Trout Private Hotel, Ford Street, June 2023, 311 pp., RRP $19.95 (pbk), ISBN 9781922696274
One thing I’m learning is that maybe home isn’t always where you come from.
Andy Lightfoot (great name!) is on his gap year. He has left his parents’ home in Namarka a shrinking town on the Murray River where grain trains stopped but tourists did not, wanting to escape the constraints of family expectations, and in search of… he’s not sure of what.
Andy finds himself working for lodgings at the Rainbow Trout Private Hotel, high in alpine country. The hotel has been owned by lunatics and dreamers since the get go. All of whom have gone broke, nutty, died, or disappeared. [It] has a history of mystery, secrets, broken hearts and minds. It’s populated by an eccentric family, and has many mysterious visitors. As Andy gets to know these people and their stories, he gets to know more about himself.
The landscape plays an important role. It begins as a temperate idyll filled with lakes, rivers, and fishing, but with the onset of winter, this benign setting becomes wild and life-threatening. Andy and his new-found friends must work together to keep the hotel standing against the forces of Mother Nature.
This is a gentle book, written by an award-winning author, that follows one young man’s journey of self-discovery. Andy Lightfoot is an extremely likeable character, who has a strong moral compass and acts with compassion and empathy.
This would make an excellent class text for high school students in Years 9 and up.
Teacher notes are available at the publisher’s website, where they recommend this book for ages 13+.
Reviewed by Gaby Meares
