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I have to agree with most others here and say that this was a) really disturbing, and b)executed beautifully. The storyline wasn't exactly uplifting (wife/mother inexplicably abandons her husband and daughter), but there were glimmers of light in the unconditional devotion between father and daughter, especially in the moments where the story is told from Billie's point of view and she seems to see something in Scully that others don't see...seems to understand the very essence of his being, and love him for it. I was in awe of the descriptive writing in this book - long, exquisite passages describing the cities they visited, the old, abandoned castle up the hill from their cottage in Ireland, etc. Scully's slow unravelling and his dogged, reeling pursuit of his wife through Europe was heartbreaking, and the comparison to "the riders" of European mythology's Wild Hunt was devastating apt (yes, I had to look this up on Wikipedia, and if I hadn't, I don't think I would have fully understood Winton's intent with the ghostly hunters: ). The brief, abstract chapters interspersed throughout the novel about the ghostly riders, the winds blowing change out to the sea, the Irish countryside...all added an ethereal quality to the book that made it seem something more than simply a story about a woman who abandons her family - like there was a larger commentary here about human nature, and love, and how well we can ever know each other. Excellent book - I can't wait to read more of Tim Winton.