- This novel is loaded with annoying characters who mean little. City dwelling adults and their kids on a weekend break in the bush. They’ve bought a property, imposing themselves on locals who have memories.
- City types with no respect don't belong. The bush is not meant for them. It's owned by people bonded to their land and its harshness. Integral are guns, wild animals, memories and resentments.
- An old man Jacob is their neighbour. He’s unhappy with the new fence they’ve erected. They’ve taken two or so metres of his property. He’s also unhappy they’re trying to involve lawyers to fix the problem. So, late at night, he rams the fence with his tractor but falls off it after one of the new arrivals, Ness, jumps on the tractor and tries to stop him. It tips and he’s impaled. Tom and Ness debate whether to call the ambulance and police. They decide to hide the body instead and drive the tractor back to the old man's dilapidated house. It's a stupid decision.
- Various things happen that illustrate the naivety of the new arrivals in their new and trendy locale. Phil thinks, for example, that killing a lamb by cutting its throat and skinning it would make a good meal. He stuffs the whole thing up.
- There are Death Cap mushrooms on the property. The kids have been warned to stay away from them. But they can come in handy when needed.
- There's a caravan with a tent too. One of the newbies asks the occupants to move but, tragically, their young daughter had disappeared near the river fifteen years ago, and she's never been found. They refuse to move.
- There are all sorts of other things that happen, mostly vulgar, like getting high and indulging in sexual infidelity. And one of the young kids goes missing for a while too. She was left alone.
- The ultimate resolution to all this confounding stuff is satisfying. Sometimes rebellious teens know how to handle things.
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