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New Zealand author Elizabeth Knox has written several books of which the most swidely praised are Vintner's Luck and her 2001 novel, Black Oxen. Knox is, alas, another of those authors about whom not much is published beyond her nationality and her bibliography. Billie's Kiss is a strange novel, at once historical yet written in almost poetic language. There appears, too, to be passing homage to Shakespeare's TheTempest in the theme and setting of the tale. The year is 1903 and Billie Paxton, a young, dyslexic woman, is travelling with her older sister Edith and her brother-in-law Henry Maslen to the Scottish island of Kissack and Skilling. Henry has been hired by Lord Hallowhulme as a cataloguer. Edith is heavily pregnant and Billie and the Maslens have been given a cabin on the overcrowded steamer Gustav Edda since Edith is heavily pregnant and suffering badly. The legitimate passengers belonging to the cabin are Murdo Hesketh, a cousin of Lord Hallowhulme, together with Hallowhulme's teenage son and a friend of his. Just as the ship is approaching the wharf in Stolsnay Harbour, Billie is kissed by her brother-in-law and flees his attentions, jumping precipitately from the vessel onto the wharf. Just as she arrives on dry land, the boat explodes, causing the loss of life of several passengers and crew, including Edith and her unborn baby. Hesketh, seeing Billie's flight, assumes she is responsible for the explosion. The rest of the tale is a meandering investigation by Murdo into the cause of the explosion as well as an extremely well done examination of the lives of the Castle Kiss inhabitants and the general conditions pertaining on the island. The hatred of the divided community, part Roman Catholic, with allegiance to Ireland and part Protestant, traditionally drawn from and sympathetic to Scandinavia, toward each other and Lord Hallowhulme is likewise sketched. Billie's unconventional upbringing, the daughter of a con man who trained her to swim but to pretend to drown in order to keep their living afloat, is an interesting sidelight. The tensions and loyalties between family members as well as the employees of the family also provide stimulating reading. I felt the depiction of dyslexic Billie and the condition she suffered which was in those days without a name to be excellently done, as was Billie's attempts to overcome her affliction by substituting her own means of recording for conventional writing. The story, while not fast paced, is certainly lacking in overtly detailed violence and gore . It is more a description of the human condition and the almost unchallenged power of one man over many others in that time and place. The mystery is beautifully plotted (I defy the reader to solve it before all the clues are laid out) and the character of Billie exerts a definite charm and attraction . This reviewer will be very interested to read any forthcoming novels from the keyboard of the talented Ms. Knox. Editoržs Note: This is a review of the UK edition as sold in Australia  Chatto & Windus, London. Released May 3, 2002. Au$29.95
Reviewed by Denise Wels, May 2002
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