The Conversion

(Paperback)

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Description

The conversion was Nicks idea.

Nick: so persuasive, ever the optimist, still boyishly handsome. Always on a quest to design the perfect environment, convinced it could heal a wounded soul.

The conversion was Nicks idea, but its Zoe whos here now, in a valley of old coalmines and new vineyards, working out how to live in a deconsecrated church.

What to do with all that vertical space, those oppressive stained-glass windows Can a church become a home or, even with all its vestiges removed, will it remain forever what it was intended to be

For Zoe, alone and troubled by a ghost from the recent past, the little church seems empty of the possibilities Nick enthused about. She is stuck in purgatoryuntil a determined young teacher pushes her way into Zoes life, convinced of her own peculiar mission for the building.

Melanie has something of Nicks unquenchable zeal about her. And its clear to Zoe that she wont take no for an answer.

The Conversion is a startling novel about the homes we live in: how we shape them, and how they shape us. Like Amanda Lohreys bestselling The Labyrinth, it is distinguished by its deep intelligence, eye for human drama and effortless readability.

Reviews

Written in Lohreys familiar economical prose and exhibiting a fascination with the space we inhabit, The Conversion is an absorbing fiction of dealing with people and events from the past, and finding a way into the future. * Age *
Buy this one. [Amanda Lohreys] brilliant. * Australian *
One of the things Lohrey does is to take quite portentious, serious things and put them in ordinary contexts and see if they work, see what they mean when you put them in that setting. * James Ley, ABC RN Bookshelf *
We see [Lohreys] interest in place, in buildings, in physical spaces, but also in therapy and psychiatryI really enjoy what Amanda Lohrey has done by keeping us guessing in this novel. * Kate Evans, ABC RN Bookshelf *
Amanda Lohrey makes writing look effortless: every sentence is a pleasure to read. Her characters immediately come alive on the page...The Conversion is a beautifully written, quietly profound novel that explores purgatories of the past and present as its characters move between and meditate on structural and personal conversion. * Saturday Paper *
Astonishing and beguiling. * Canberra Times *
'The Conversion delves into what it means to change one thing into another thing, exploring ideas of conversion that range from everyday renovation to the allure of religious cults and the meaning of our ever-updating culture. * Conversation *
Amanda Lohreys ninth novel, The Conversion, is filled with intrusions, insistence, and ghostsIn this blazing, layered, bravura novel, Lohrey probes the dreamed, remembered, and hoped-for in an anatomy of freedom and aftermath. * Australian Book Review *
The Conversion takes on a dreamy tone to explore the complexities of love, loss, family and homeThe process of grief is rarely logical and straightforward, and in reflecting this, the book holds true. * Books+Publishing *
Lohrey delves into grief-induced purgatory and the meaning of home, especially in times of upheaval. * Harpers Bazaar *
The Conversion is both highly readable and deeply thoughtful. Come for the real estate and stay for the revelations about what our built environmentsboth the sacred and the secularsay about who we are. * Claire Nichols, ABC Arts *
This is what Lohrey does best: she seeks to appreciate the internal ponderings of many and then to package them into a compassionate story, using characters that are finely attuned to our own meandering thoughtsThis novel is perfect for long-term fans and alos for readers of Ann Patchett and Alice Munro. Their ability to record every day ordinariness is what makes these writers extraordinary. Read The Conversion to be still, and to marvel. * Readings Monthly *
Lohrey delves into the places we call home, exploring the intricate dance between our influence on them and their transformative impact on us. * ArtsHub *
The Conversion is a gentle meditation on grief, space and the idea of belonging. * Big Issue *
An incisive commentary on contemporary material, social and cultural values. * Good Reading *
The distinctive depth of characterisation shines in this tightly knitted story. * Australian Womens Weekly *
Lohrey revisits the terrain of her Miles Franklin Award-winning The Labyrinth to create another meditative and rewarding read. * Good Weekend *
Beautifully written. * Adelaide Advertiser *

Author Bio

Amanda Lohrey lives in Tasmania and writes fiction and non-fiction. She has taught at the University of Tasmania, the University of Technology Sydney and the University of Queensland. Amanda is a regular contributor to the Monthly magazine and a former senior fellow of the Australia Councils Literature Board. She received the 2012 Patrick White Award. The Labyrinth (2021), her eighth work of fiction, won the Miles Franklin Literary Award, a Prime Ministers Literary Award, a Tasmanian Literary Award and the Voss Literary Prize.