A Private Man

It is two days since Dr John Brand's death and his eldest son, Davis, suspects a cover-up. 'Survived by two sons', the death notice said. 'Peacefully.' Someone has lied: there are three sons, and the circumstances of their father's death are murky. But the Sydney Test Match is on and Davis's famous brother Chris is batting to save his career while their mother Margaret watches the broadcast from her armchair. Hammett, the unacknowledged third brother, lurks on the edges, banished but not forgotten. Scattered over Sydney, the Brand's livesu and John Brand's funeralu are put on hold for the duration of the game: five days of suspense, silences, revelations, recriminations and redemption. Filtered through the two arenas of masculinityu cricket and pornographyu A PRIVATE MAN is at once a poignant story of a family's grief, an artfully constructed thriller and a provocative dissection of Australian men and their private passions.