Review: A Doubtful Detour

Seth and Zoe are 13-year-old twins who are also time travellers. Leaving Dunedin with their parents to return to Fiordland the four are apprehensive; with prior time travel under their belts, they know anything could happen. This standalone novel by Anya Forest is set, like the previous novel, Home from the Homer, in the wilds of Milford Sound and surrounds. Aimed at 10 – 14-year-olds, it is an adventure story a little reminiscent of Enid Blyton's The Magic Faraway Tree, where anything could be awaiting the characters as they take a step and end up in a new land.

Told in the third person, A Doubtful Detour switches between the twins, and occasionally features both when they occupy the same period. This may be the 1800s, amongst whalers, struggling to survive in ferocious waters, or the 1960s, with the Puysegur Point lighthouse keeper, or the 1920s, at Deep Cove Hut, where the local tourism business is burgeoning. In each setting, the author provides expansive historical background through then-contemporary, actual individuals and local landmarks or projects.

One main character whose family carries through the narrative is Leslie Murrell, a local man deeply involved in making the landscape accessible to outsiders. He proves warm and sympathetic to the plight of our two young protagonists, accompanying each or both at various times and guiding them away from potential hazards, human or otherwise. He also tightens links to both past and present through the twins having contact with generations of his family.

Throughout the novel, Forest includes archival photographs, maps, illustrations and other items to hold the young reader's interest and aid comprehension. She has researched thoroughly the development of the area, for instance, the planning and completion of the Manapouri Power Station, which Seth and Zoe explore, the building of the Wilmot Pass road and the movements of local boats cruising the waters at the time. One memorable interlude features the Wanganella ocean liner which was converted into a hostel for the men building the power station. Forest peppers her story with such details, using her characters to infiltrate the settings and bring them to life for her reader.

Historical content is a strength of this novel, as is the author's clear intrigue with this area which comes through in the whole tone of her work. She shares her fascination, which encourages further research about specific individuals or incidents. She shows her love of the natural world, frequently drawing the reader's attention to flora and fauna, with accompanying discussions of these species between Murrell and the teens. Murrell adopts a scholarly role, supplementing the knowledge of both the twins and implicitly the reader.

However, while much of the content is interesting, A Doubtful Detour could benefit from an edit as it is often wordy, with too much attention paid to the twins' minutest interactions. This slows down the pace of the novel and is frustrating. Motifs, such as a specific jersey and a pair of wet boots and the teens' associated emotions, are given far too much space and dialogues could be refined.

Another benefit of a tighter edit would be to simplify the story somewhat. Time travel is a strong structuring device on which these adventures can hang. However, there is so much enthusiasm for the time travel that it is frequently confusing to follow the rapid changes. While a compression of the text would be advantageous, A Doubtful Detour has much to recommend it. Forest has chosen a local area rich in history and transformation, and her novel brims with topical events and twists as our protagonists buffet through one adventure that comes tumbling after another.

Reviewed by Jessie Neilson