The Hotel Albatross

by Debra Adelaide, Macmillan, 261 pages, $27.99.

The Hotel Albatross is a glimpse of pub life from the inside. The setting will be familiar to anyone part of the pub scene a decade or so ago and even set in small town Australia, it still resonates with familiarity.

The Captain and his wife apparently find themselves almost accidentally managing the hotel, but find it increas-ingly difficult to extricate themselves from their obligations. The story is told by the captain's wife. We never do find out what either of their names are. It might be that they are just the incidental tools around which the story is arranged. However, her increasing desperation to get out of relentless grind and away from the people she almost resents for their relative freedom leaks through and gives the story poignancy and an air of quiet desperation.

The book is saved from being dreary by the delightful array of characters and events. as diverse and entertaining a bunch of people as you'd want to meet. She doesn't really like them though: "Leave these people, all these boring, demanding, petty-minded people who all say youse and arkst so constantly you begin to doubt what's correct any longer." The generous and gracious Captain provides a neat counterpoint that provides a more balanced and sympathetic view of the parade of characters.

The Captain is the front man as he chats to customers, breaks up fights, and manages to deal calmly with the simmering tensions of a small town. She is left to the day-to-day running of the hotel: mediating between family members fighting over wedding decorations, appeasing disgruntled staff members and dealing with the horror of what lies in room 101. Her dreams of getting out permeate everything and disaster of one sort or another is always just around the corner. Debra Adelaide tells the story with skill and imagination. She has a wry and entertaining turn of phrase that makes Hotel Albatross a worthwhile read.

• Mary-Anne Baker is a planner from Tasman.

- © Fairfax NZ News