The tagline of this book – “what has happened to Ingrid?” – encapsulates its intriguing premise. The Ingrid in question is an alluring heiress, who is adored by almost every male character in the book, and whose face becomes one of the thousands of those of the missing published in newspapers after the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Centre. But was she one of the many victims of this horrific event, or did September 11 serve as a cover for another plot? It is surprising that this idea has not been employed by authors more widely, and more so that although ultimately the driving force behind the plot of ‘The Legacy’, for much of the novel the events of that terrible day feel peripheral.
‘The Legacy’ is a book of two halves. The first, set in Sydney, chronicles the early adulthood of Ingrid, Ralph, the cousin who is enamoured with her, and Julia, a friend of both whose potent but unrequited love for Ralph almost makes the reader cringe for her. It is these passions which drive the second half of the book; Ralph, desperate to know what became of Ingrid after she left Sydney but too ill to travel, calls upon Julia to take the journey to New York for him.
There is a great deal of literary weight behind ‘The Legacy’. The author, Kristen Tranter, is the daughter of a poet and a literary agent, with a PhD in English Renaissance literature. The book itself draws inspiration from Henry James’ ‘Portrait of a Lady’ and has garnered impressive review from both the literati and readers.
The writing is certainly worthy of praise. Tranter is able to sculpt Sydney with words, from the palatial family home of Ralph and Ingrid and the aimless hours passed within it to the grungy university haunts where Julia challenges the oblivious Ingrid for Ralph’s affections. New York is similarly constructed in the reader’s mind, from the superficially elegant art scene in which Ingrid builds a new life to the hallowed halls of the academic institution that perhaps hold the most true reflection of the enigmatic heiress. Although not a page turner in the conventional sense, ‘The Legacy’ lures the reader further into the tale with the promise of its prose.
But ‘The Legacy’ is not without its flaws. In a book so driven by characters rather than a rollicking plot, it is necessary to tread a fine line between characters who are morally ambiguous and those who are simply unlikable. This is where Tranter struggles; ultimately, even the most beautiful prose in the world cannot fully engage a reader in a book where there is not a single character sufficiently redeeming in whom to make an emotional investment. Like Christos Tsiolkas’ ‘The Slap’, which left many bemoaning its cast of universally unpleasant characters, it is likely that ‘The Legacy’ will leave some readers wishing desperately that they had really liked a book with so many commendable features, yet somehow unable to.
