The Cartographer by Peter Twohig

Set in Richmond, Melbourne in 1959, The Cartographer is about an 11 year old boy who is wandering the streets occasionally seeing things he shouldn’t.  Having seen a murder take place his imagination runs riot with possibilities of being caught by some dodgy characters he may have upset.  Along the way he is making a map of where he has been, so he knows where he shouldn’t go return  so staying  out of trouble. Aided by his grandad, who has some dodgy friends of his own, all of Richmond is his back yard.  A back story of the death of his twin, and the unhappy marriage  of his parents add to the boy’s troubles.  Set firmly in the time, with the colourful Aussie language of working class Richmond, The Cartographer is funny but tells a serious story.  It is part mystery, part coming of age and part social history.  I enjoyed it immensely.  $30