The Impersonators Jessica Anderson 1980

Dustjacket synopsis:
"Jack Cornock's illness, and his obstinate silence, provoke speculation about his will among the families of his two marriages. When his daughter Sylvia returns to Australia after twenty years, she is inevitably caught up in the twisted skeins of their allegiances and estrangements. Sensitively crafted, The Impersonators is a modern novel portraying with humour and perception the fracturing of family relationships and the endurance of live in an increasingly materialistic age."

Quotes:
"one of Australia's foremost writers, able to detail with compassion and clarity contemporary urban life in Australia" - Sydney Morning Herald
"an elaborately worked and richly rewarding comedy of manners" - Adelaide Advertiser

First Paragraph:

'Jack Cornock's daughter is coming back,' said Keith Burtenshaw.

Marjorie Burtenshaw sat at her dressing table, dabbing and fussing, making the best of her daytime face. 'I didn't know he had a daughter. What's her name?'

'Sylvia Foley.'

'Then she's married.'

'Divorced. She has picked her time.'

'How old?'

Keith Burtenshaw surmised as he selected a shirt. 'There was Bruce, killed in the war. Then Stewart. Then Sylvia, along time after. In her late thirties? Yes.'

From the Penguin paperback edition, 1982.

This page and its contents are copyright © 1998-2001 by Perry Middlemiss, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

Last modified: December 24, 2001.