The Eye of the Storm

White, Patrick. The Eye of the Storm, North Sydney, N.S.W. : Vintage Books, [2011], c1973.

The Eye of the Storm tells the story of Elizabeth Hunter, the powerful matriarch of her family, who still maintains a destructive iron grip on those who come to farewell her in her final moments upon her deathbed. Set in the Sydney suburb of Centennial Park, Elizabeth is attended to by two nurses, a housekeeper and her two adult children. In her youth she had great beauty and used it to her own advantage and ends, destroying the lives of so many, leaving them vulnerable and under her control. A summer storm in Sydney drives Elizabeth to recall a mystical experience that transforms all her relationships: her existence becomes charged with a meaning which communicates itself to those around her. Despite her deteriorating health, the ageing ex-socialite continues to wield considerable control over her affairs and those around her. The Eye of the Storm is a savage exploration of family relationships and the sharp undercurrents of love and hate, comedy and tragedy, which define them.