'Conversations At Curlow Creek' sounded as if it had the potential to be a wonderful novel from David Malouf. The idea is a simple one: an outlaw has been captured in colonial Australia. The army wants the outlaw hanged, and sends an officer, Adair, to oversee the hanging. The military wants the outlaw executed far out in the bush to deflect any public opinions on the matter.

Adair is an Irishman who has come to Australia at the bidding of his 'true love' Virgilia. She wishes him to locate their early childhood mate, Fergus, who they believe might be an outlaw in Australia. One of the outlaws killed when the prisoner was captured matched the description of Fergus. Adair wants to query the prisoner and determine if the dead man could possibly have been Fergus.

The novel covers the night before the scheduled execution at a lonely creek. The prisoner is confined to a ramshackle hut, and Adair spends the night with him, trying to have a conversation. This scenario has an enormous amount of potential, with the two men isolated and discussing their lives, their hopes, their disillusionment, and their failures. Malouf, however, has chosen to zero in on Adair and his early childhood and not much else. 'Conversation' becomes a misnomer quickly, as Adair only seems to see himself and his life. Malouf tries to weave an interesting relationship between Fergus, Adair, and Virgilia, but it never grabs hold of the reader and arouses any interest or sympathy or even curiosity. It is like a toothless tiger which, while theoretically powerful, lacks any substance.

'Curlow' devolves into a boring pity-party for Adair. The ending of the novel makes a shambles of what little preceded it, and leaves the reader confused, but not interested enough to puzzle through it.

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