The Trout Opera – Matthew Condon

It took ten years for Condon to write The Trout Opera.  The story focuses primarily on the lives of Wilfred Lamp, a 100 year old man who has lived his life on the Snowy River, and his great niece, Aurora Beck, a young woman struggling to create a new life for herself after escaping her junkie boyfriend.  

A multitude of secondary characters also have stories to tell in this novel and Condon takes the time to do service to these stories also.  The non-linear narrative jumps between characters and time periods without damaging the flow of the story.

The story is more than a whimsical history lesson however, Aurora’s junkie boyfriend is hunting her down and the drug culture is portrayed with disturbing realism.  All in all, The Trout Opera is a book that captures some of the simple highs and extreme lows of humanity and life.