Spellbound takes a wander into some tricky territory. There is foreign investment that could be good for the town, depending on who gets to have a say. Dr Ash is concerned that a patient is suffering domestic abuse. Are the scrabble-playing rich nudists living in naked splendour out in the …err… bush, Nazis? On the lighter side, Sidney and Sophie are about to give birth and Devon still makes a great margarita.
The narrative weaves its way over the hill in and out of Gabriel's Bay with humour and sharp dialogue. These are not just characters in a book, but people we know. Robertson is a smart observer of human nature, one eye on the ridiculous and the other on the burning questions facing our society right now.
Spellbound is the best combination of bookish things: funny, thoughtful, heart-wrenching, worrying, clever and, most importantly of all, entertaining.