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The Accidental

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The Accidental

by Ali Smith

Penguin, $105

The plot's an oldie but a goodie - at least in the hands of Ali Smith, who takes the familiar 'stranger turns up at the door, asking for help' idea and spins stories from the consequences. Amber is Smith's mysterious, smart-talking outsider, who arrives unannounced at the vacation home of the Smarts. Michael, the father and an English literature professor, assumes she's there to interview his wife. Eve, the spouse and a best-selling author, assumes she's her husband's latest lover, such is his predilection for bedding students. Their children, Astrid, 12, and Magnus, 17, couldn't care less why she's come. All that's important is that she stay. In fact, all four family members take to Amber, who quickly affects each in different ways. She seduces the social-misfit son, incurs the wrath of his mother, hypnotises Astrid, and intoxicates her father, who responds with sonnets. The four allow Smith to show off her characterisation and storytelling skills, a talent recognised by the Whitbread judges: Smith's sixth novel beat heavyweight contenders, such as Zadie Smith's On Beauty, to win the award last year.

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