[It] almost seems that Thomas Keneally, on a slow day, picked up a copy of "The Survivor"—his earlier Antarctic novel—turned the plot over in his mind awhile, and decided to rework it with a few new twists. In "The Survivor" a middle-aged man reflected upon the disaster that overcame the leader of his South Pole expedition, and tried to deal with his own guilt, which grew out of his brief affair with the leader's wife. In "Victim of the Aurora," an old man in a nursing home refelcts on the disaster that occurred to his South Pole expedition (this time a murder). But at the periphery, once again, is a leader troubled by his wife's infidelity with one of his men; and the man is consumed with self-reproach.
The shift of emphasis has changed a story of character (of the effects of guilt, the averted gaze of the conscious mind, the crazy selfishness of the true explorer) to one of action. When you get right down to it, "Victim of the Aurora" is a murder mystery. Like most murder mysteries, it's fascinating reading; you want to know what happens next. But also like most murder mysteries, it lacks a sense of depth. The characters tend to be puppets, conveniently performing whatever acts will speed the plot along. And the narrator, for all he says about how this story has changed his view of the world, shows no real signs of being affected. As nearly as we can tell, he returns from his expedition to lead a normal life forever after. (pp. 12-13)
Anne Tyler, in The New York Times Book Review (© 1978 by The New York Times Company; reprinted by permission), March 26, 1978.
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