Lovesong by Alex Miller

How elegant is this little novel? It's a love story as told to a somewhat jaded 'retired' novelist by a man he meets at his local pastry shop. But of course it's a different take on the traditional sentimental love story. It's the story of Sabiha, a beautiful Tunisian woman, her Australian husband John, their life in Paris and their longing for a child. The jacket blurb says Miller is compassionate, and I think that describes his approach to this story nicely. It also describes the book as 'pitch-perfect'. I like Miller's clarity of language, his understatement and simplicity of approach. I enjoyed this almost as much as Conditions of Faith, the first of his books that I read and the one I find most remarkable. His approach is always fresh and his perspective of ordinary things quite original; he digs a little and finds the story beneath ordinary lives. Very, very nice story telling. Lovesong is a very quick read too - one day for me in between medical appointments, waiting for a lunchtime concert to begin and the bus ride home. I'd like to know what people think of the ending - did the writer betray John? 4 stars