All the Way to Cape Grimm: Reflections on Carmel Bird’s Fiction

Abstract

The article presents a critical overview of Carmel Bird’s writing, particularly her four major novels. Suggesting that there is a continuity of pattern, theme and sometimes character, Walker examines Bird’s major concerns, and the narrative means by which these are expressed (such as fantasy and the Gothic; images and references). She argues that the novels under survey ‘raise profound questions: of the presence of evil in the world and the rise of charasmatic leaders who appear to be evil incarnate’ (275).