The Accidental
by Ali Smith
Hamish Hamilton, $217
'Dysfunctional' is the first word to come to mind about the Smart family at the centre of Ali Smith's novel The Accidental. They are all smart: Michael is a lecturer in English literature and a philanderer; his partner, Eve, writes a series of books about non-famous victims of the second world war; her son from a previous relationship, Magnus, is a bright secondary school student who unwittingly triggers the suicide of a fellow student; while her adolescent daughter, Astrid, is obnoxious to the other characters, but appealing to readers.
On holidays in a dreary Norfolk village, the Smarts are transformed by the arrival of an enigmatic 35-year-old, Amber, who seems to have psychic powers. Michael and Eve each think she's a friend of the other. By the time they recognise their mistake, Amber has become the boon companion of Astrid, seduced Magnus and entranced Eve, while Michael dreams of bedding her.
Amber serves as a catalyst of the potential of each of the Smarts, but may be in cahoots with whoever empties their home of everything, as they discover on return from their holiday.
