The Lost Man

Xander is Nathan’s son with his ex-wife, Jacqui, and lives in Brisbane with his mother. He is 16 and, as Nathan thinks, “more man than boy these days” (5). Xander and Nathan have a difficult relationship, and their journey toward intimacy illustrates the theme of Learning to Be a Father. Xander worries about his father’s isolation. He works to maintain a close relationship with him despite Nathan’s remoteness and shows maturity in his approach. In helping Nathan work his property, Xander shows a willingness to meet his father where he is most comfortable. At the end of the novel, Xander asks Nathan to consider moving to Brisbane, showing his love for his father and his concern for his mental health.

Xander also illustrates the difference between locals and city people. At the beginning of the novel, Nathan:

could see Xander’s city softness exposed like a layer of new skin. His edges had been gently rounded by nuanced debate and foreign coffee and morning news. […] Mostly, Nathan thought, that was no bad thing. But it depended where you were (14).

The effects of the outback quickly show, however, as Nathan notes: “His private-school haircut was looking a little shaggy around the edges after the past week, and the stubble on his chin made him look older” (14). Although Xander has soft city edges, he is just as observant and shrewd as his father. He plays the role of sidekick to Nathan’s sleuth and notices little things that no one else does, as when he sees that Harry knew exactly where to turn to get to Cam’s car.

Bub is Nathan’s youngest brother, born 10 years after Cam. Nathan and Cam had already left home when Bub was young, and he and Liz bore the brunt of Carl’s abuse. Bub was a surprise, born long after his brothers, and, as the narrator notes, “Being an accidental baby was hardly his fault, but it hadn’t helped his cause. Liz had never once hinted that Bub’s arrival hadn’t been entirely welcome, twelve and ten years after his brothers, but Carl hadn’t bothered to hide it” (121). Bub is quiet, “and his words fell a fraction of a beat slower than average speaking pace” (5). Nathan tends to underestimate Bub; when his brother mentions that Cam had been stressed recently, the narrator notes that Nathan “stared at him in astonishment. How bad had things been if even Bub had noticed?” (26). This impression of Bub as slower and less intelligent is reinforced by his nickname, which constantly reminds him of his status as the baby of the family.

Bub’s character arc involves coming into his own by convincing Nathan and Ilse to buy him out. Bub is haunted by memories of Carl’s abuse, and he explains his desire to leave to Nathan obliquely, saying only, “I don’t like living here […] It reminds me too much of some stuff” (311). Although he wants to leave, he was trapped by Cam, who refused to buy his share of the farm and facilitate his departure. After Cam’s death, Bub becomes more vocal about his plans. 

Ilse is Cam’s wife. Originally from Holland, she studied environmental science in Canada before backpacking through the outback. She acquired a job bartending in Balamara and met Nathan before Cam. They slept together for the first time in the back of Nathan’s vehicle, a scene that is mirrored at the end of the novel when they reunite. She sees possibilities with Nathan but, unaware of his exile, believes he abandoned her. She became involved with Cam, who didn’t reveal that he was Nathan’s brother.

Ilse takes over the administration of Burley Downs, no small task. And as the novel progresses, she reveals that Cam physically and emotionally abused her for some time. She planned to leave him, but he found ways to stop her. Ilse’s story explores the ways abuse can keep a person prisoner and trauma moves from one generation to the next. When Liz finds Ilse’s envelope with money and documents, she understands what it is because she made a similar escape plan from Carl years before. Ilse’s plight motivates Liz to break the legacy of abuse in her family.

Ilse is also Nathan’s love interest. At the end of the novel, their relationship provides hope for Nathan, who finally asks for help with his mental health and begins to reconnect with his community. It also provides hope for the Bright family. Burley Downs may endure and the Bright family may heal from their trauma.