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Julia Leigh

Disquiet Paperback – November 25, 2008

by Julia Leigh (Author)

50 ratings

3.2 on Goodreads

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Olivia arrives at her mother?s chateau in rural France (the first time in more than a decade) with her two young children in tow. Soon the family is joined by Olivia?s brother Marcus and his wife Sophie?but this reunion is far from joyful. After years of desperately wanting a baby, Sophie has just given birth to a stillborn child, and she is struggling to overcome her devastation. Meanwhile, Olivia wrestles with her own secrets about the cruel and violent man she married many years before. Exquisitely written and reminiscent of Ian McEwan and J. M. Coetzee, Disquiet is a darkly beautiful and atmospheric story that will linger in the mind long after the final page is turned.

Print length

120 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Penguin Books
Publication date

November 25, 2008
Reading age

18 years and up
Dimensions

5.13 x 0.36 x 7.07 inches
ISBN-10

014311350X
ISBN-13

978-0143113508
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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. Leigh follows her internationally acclaimed The Hunter with a haunting family drama tightly packed into a tense novella. Olivia, referred to primarily (and somewhat affectedly) as the woman, has fled her abusive husband with her two sharp-tongued young children. She seeks refuge at her mother's chateau in France, which she left on bad terms to get married 12 years earlier. Soon after Olivia's unexpected arrival, her brother shows up with his wife, Sophie, and the body of their stillborn child. Although the plot feels a bit slight, there is great emotional weight and disturbing imagery, as Sophie wanders aimlessly, still wearing her hospital ID bracelet and carrying her lifeless daughter in her arms as if the baby were a doll. The chateau is an ideal gothic setting for the morbid events that occur over the course of several days; indeed, there is only one scene that takes place off the chateau's grounds, infusing the novel with an unsettling atmosphere of claustrophobia. Death and impending death reign, but Leigh also paints a subtle portrait of a broken family trying to piece itself back together. (Dec.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From The New Yorker

Leigh�s first novel was a miracle of compression, a swift, muscular tale of a hunter tracking a near-mythic beast. Here she attempts the same radical economy of language with a more gothic, cluttered story, involving a woman on the run from her abusive husband; two preternaturally knowing children; a rambling French ch�teau staffed by giggly twin maids; and a philanderer who acquiesces to his grieving wife�s refusal to bury their stillborn baby. Characters are only intermittently identified by name, and every event�a boy hiding behind a curtain, the puncturing of a balloon�is rendered portentous. The result, despite bursts of gorgeously unhinged prose (�suitcases disembowelled,� tops of trees like �iron filings drawn starward�), is technically accomplished but airless.
Copyright ©2008 Click here to subscribe to The New Yorker

From Booklist

An elegant woman with a broken arm and two suitcase-lugging children force their way through a hidden door in a great stone wall surrounding a “vast estate” and march confidently past a crew of gardeners to the chateau’s grand front door. Once inside, the conversation is terse, formal. All that is unspoken looms as immense and threatening as a towering thundercloud. This could be an Edward Gorey novel, so spooky is the atmosphere, so cryptic the goings-on, so acute are Leigh’s descriptions of this luxurious yet lonely mansion. This palace of concealed pain. And slowly, exquisitely, like a time-lapse sequence of vines reaching to grasp a scrolled wrought-iron fence, Leigh’s gracefully macabre and utterly mesmerizing tale of loss and mourning unfolds with an Ian McEwan–like intensity. Following the rave reception of her first novel, The Hunter (2000), Australian writer Leigh proves herself to be an exceptionally subtle storyteller, spurring the reader’s imagination to great leaps of understanding and compassion. With reading time at a minimum, this gorgeously concentrated yet mighty novel is an ideal selection. --Donna Seaman

Review

aA powerful and disquieting novella, a work of fiction so infused with the practices of film that, while each scene is fully and even vividly realized in words, it also translates quite naturally into film, into a visually rich action taking place before the inner eye.a
aJ. M. Coetzee, Nobel Prize-winning author of "Disgrace"
aThis is a writer with terrifying control of the dreamscape. And, yes, those are the ones to watch out for.a
a "The Los Angeles Times"
aIan McEwanas Atonement comes to mindabut Leigh has a hypnotic power all her own.a
a"People"
aHypnotica]Leigh sustains the tension between life and death until the very end. It's difficult to imagine a reader who will not be electrified by this haunting, masterfully told story. Indeed, it's difficult to imagine a reader who will not be changed by it.a
a "Kirkus Reviews" (starred review)
aArtfully fulfilling the promise a or threat a of its title, the tale exudes a chill moonlight beauty, a tribute to the finesse of its author, Julia Leigh.a
a"The Boston Globe"
a[Leighas] mentor was the Nobel Prize winner Toni Morrison, and this gothic little book is the result of that pairing.a
a"NY Times"

A powerful and disquieting novella, a work of fiction so infused with the practices of film that, while each scene is fully and even vividly realized in words, it also translates quite naturally into film, into a visually rich action taking place before the inner eye.
J. M. Coetzee, Nobel Prize-winning author of "Disgrace"
This is a writer with terrifying control of the dreamscape. And, yes, those are the ones to watch out for.
"The Los Angeles Times"
Ian McEwan s Atonement comes to mind but Leigh has a hypnotic power all her own.
"People"
Hypnotic Leigh sustains the tension between life and death until the very end. It's difficult to imagine a reader who will not be electrified by this haunting, masterfully told story. Indeed, it's difficult to imagine a reader who will not be changed by it.
"Kirkus Reviews" (starred review)
Artfully fulfilling the promise or threat of its title, the tale exudes a chill moonlight beauty, a tribute to the finesse

?A powerful and disquieting novella, a work of fiction so infused with the practices of film that, while each scene is fully and even vividly realized in words, it also translates quite naturally into film, into a visually rich action taking place before the inner eye.?
?J. M. Coetzee, Nobel Prize-winning author of "Disgrace"
?This is a writer with terrifying control of the dreamscape. And, yes, those are the ones to watch out for.?
? "The Los Angeles Times"
?Ian McEwan's Atonement comes to mind?but Leigh has a hypnotic power all her own.?
?"People"
?Hypnotic?Leigh sustains the tension between life and death until the very end. It's difficult to imagine a reader who will not be electrified by this haunting, masterfully told story. Indeed, it's difficult to imagine a reader who will not be changed by it.?
? "Kirkus Reviews" (starred review)
?Artfully fulfilling the promise ? or threat ? of its title, the tale exudes a chill moonlight beaut

About the Author

Julia Leigh was born in Sydney, Australia. Her writing has been compared to Melville and Conrad (San Francisco Chronicle), and she was included in the London Observer's list of 21 writers for the 21st century.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Penguin Books; 1st edition (November 25, 2008)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 120 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 014311350X
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0143113508
Reading age ‏ : ‎ 18 years and up
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 4.6 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.13 x 0.36 x 7.07 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #3,020,176 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #18,347 in Psychological Fiction (Books)
- #39,248 in Family Life Fiction (Books)
- #116,487 in Literary Fiction (Books)

Customer Reviews:
50 ratings

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5 star		43%
4 star		19%
3 star		13%
2 star		15%
1 star		9%

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Top reviews from the United States

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Chance Lee

Well-Crafted to a Fault

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on June 18, 2014

Verified Purchase

I read Disquiet almost five years ago and rated it two stars (but didn't write a review). Now that I read more critically, and write, I better understand the way this story is told. It helps that I've seen Leigh's film, Sleeping Beauty, which gave me a better idea of Leigh's aesthetic and her storytelling technique.

Julia Leigh is the ultimate in the art of show, don't tell, to a fault. Disquiet almost exists as a warning against going in a 100% show-don't-tell direction, despite this adage being rule #1 in Creative Writing 101. Disquiet exists entirely of scenes told from a rarely used third-person objective narrator: the narrator has /no clue/ what the characters are thinking. The narrator merely observes and reports, occasionally with a colorful turn of phrase. This technique requires the reader to read between the lines and listen to their own feelings of unease as the story unfolds.

Definitely read this in one sitting. I admire this as a true novella, instead of just as a really long short story (like Karen Russell's Sleep Donation) or just a short novel. However, I think with a tad more reflection and flashback the novel would be more memorable. Certain scenes stick with me, but the experience as a whole is already starting to fade.

Helpful

Beautiful Language but Ultimately Disappointing

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on February 2, 2009

Verified Purchase

Ms. Leigh's writing has a rich and visual style. It's almost as though you are walking with the characters in the surreal atmosphere which pervades this novella.

I enjoyed the writing and I kept hoping, and hoping.... that the story would evolve to something more, something beyond the same story line and premise from which the book begins.

Without giving away too much of the plot, a brother and sister find themselves together at their mother's chateau after not having been there together for over a decade. The sister, referred to as 'the woman' throughout the book is escaping an abusive marriage. Her brother, Marcus, is dealing with the aftermath of the birth of a stillbotn baby after trying, with his wife, to get pregnant for many years. He is also dealing with his mistress, a young woman who calls him often on his cell phone but is never given her own character except as a young girl on scholarship. His wife, Sophie, can not bear to part with her dead infant who she carries with her as though she were still living. 'The woman's' son is conniving to get back to his father who has battered his mother. His sister appears passive and non-reactive.

The language is beautiful. I felt like I was there. However, the book could and should have been so much more. I was disappointed as it went on and on and on with no real change. I love Ms. Leigh's style and await her next book. I also intend to read her first book, 'Hunger'.

One person found this helpful

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lalacartoonz

disquiet

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on May 19, 2013

Verified Purchase

I did enjoy this story, but thought that it would have been a little darker. I would have enjoyed it even more if it had been just a smig longer it left me with a few unanswered questions. I have to say it was a good short story. I would like to check out a few more books along this line of storytelling.

Helpful

E. Corrales

Mystifying and uncomfortable yet impeccably beautiful.

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on April 18, 2020

Verified Purchase

Leigh writes moments that only a still, deep mind can fathom. The eery becomes familiar and the beautiful twists into upside-down shadows of itself. Mirrors after mirrors shapeshift in this world of becoming.

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on December 11, 2012

Verified Purchase

I actually bought the book for the cover. (BUT, I did not "judge" it by it's cover, I was hopeful). DON'T DO IT!!! I loved the way it looked and figured that a book with that kind of cover would actually have some kind of writers insight and that it would be intriguing. I know there was a lot of "hidden" points in the book but they weren't great. If you want to challenge yourself to bring on your "inner self", or if you are looking for a good sleep aid, then read it. If you are looking for a "good read", don't. Just sayin.'

2 people found this helpful

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Thyme Basil

Beautiful book

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 10, 2020

Verified Purchase

So you can't tell in the pictures but this is actually a fairly small book with a metallic cover. It's gorgeously made. Good story too. ;)

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Taylor

It was just too weird

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 28, 2018

Verified Purchase

I only read this for school and no other reason than that. I wouldn't read this on my own or recommend it.

One person found this helpful

Helpful

chris george

More Julia Leigh ?

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 29, 2014

Verified Purchase

A must read - I will watch and wait for any more of this new Author It maybe be a first book UK award if I Iremember correctly!

Helpful

Top reviews from other countries

Chris M.

One of the best writers today.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on June 7, 2017

Verified Purchase

This is a great novella written with limpid prose but with a complex structure of language and latent violence simmering below. The seemingly simple language masks a growing darkness through this short work, with points of horror and bizarre and black comedy emerging. The austere and highly organised world of the setting contrasts with the animalistic nature that emerges from the central characters. Like her earlier novel, The Hunter, I would highly recommend this to anyone.

One person found this helpful

Johann Krocza

Strange creatures of the lake

Reviewed in Germany 🇩🇪 on October 1, 2014

Verified Purchase

On the surface Disquiet is a not very surprising story about the return of the black sheep of a well-to-do family in Australia. If located in rural England or America of the ninetieth century it would remind of several other society novels of that time. If ti were not for the atmosphere of suppressed anger, fear and violence masking a desperate yearning for compassion and love that I have only found in Julia Leigh's novels. I read The Hunter in one evening and couldn't put down Disquiet either. This, although nothing much really happens. Apart from some moments of real horror there is little or no action. The suspense is created by Leigh's prose and her matter of fact style, all the while feeding images to the subconscious. And, like The Hunter, Disquiet converges toward a healing if not happy end, coming nearly full circle in the process, but leaving all protagonists with some hope for a better future. In this aspect Disquiet reminded me more of Murakami than of Emily Bronte. I would recommend this unusual book to everyone fed up with thrillers and different shades of grey.

One person found this helpful

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