Smoke in the Room is Emily Maguire’s third novel. The highly charged sexual content of this distinctly Australian novel reveals that her latest non-fiction work, thePrincesses and Pornstars, has been an obvious influence.
Unfortunately, with Smoke in the Room, Maguire falls short of her aim. This novel had the potential to be an interesting commentary on mental health and sexuality, but instead it reads like a Mills and Boon; on page 181, she writes “Adam had an erection the size of the Centrepoint Tower”.
The novel is based in Sydney, yet despite the familiarity of the settings, Maguire has made a considerable effort to do the city justice with her succinct descriptions. The saving grace of Smoke in the Room is that, despite its juvenile sexuality, Maguire has crafted interesting characters whose emotional interactions make for a rapid read.Smoke in the Room is just shy of a guilty pleasure.
