clipped from www.smh.com.au

Prochownik's Dream

By Andrew Riemer
November 5, 2005 Page 1 of 2

Fidelity to family and a calling to paint collide in a new novel about the Melbourne art world.

Prochownik's Dream By Alex Miller Allen & Unwin, 299pp, $29.95

Alex Miller is a very tidy novelist, and I mean that as a compliment. His more recent books, at least, are tightly constructed, revealing nothing by way of flab. With some writers one might wish for greater extravagance, even waywardness perhaps. But Miller's disciplined approach to his characters and the worlds they inhabit is perfectly suited to his purposes. He is more intent on probing the ethical implications of his characters' lives and actions than disclosing their individual quirks or psychological tics. Here and there, it is true, such a method tends to become somewhat schematic - parts of Journey to the Stone Country did not entirely avoid that danger. But in this new novel - Miller's most consistent achievement so far - it pays a high dividend.