Cloudstreet is a charming tale about the power of the unknown in daily life. As Tim Winton's fifth novel, it demonstrates his progress as an author. The book is narrated from the perspective of this house on Cloud Street which Sam Pickles inherits from his parents. He and his family immediately move in, only to discover that they can't pay their bills because of the economic trouble of WWII and such. Answering an ad for renters, the Lamb family soon shows up. The families immediately begin a sort of competition between one another. Some notable events include the Lambs running a successful store out of their apartment, Dolly Pickles' and Lester Lamb's affair, and Fish Lamb's death and resurrection at the beginning of the book. Oriel Lamb has a background in witchcraft and uses her powers to influence her family's fortune and to save her son when he nearly drowns. Quick Lamb and Rose Pickles soon realize that their families respective successes depend upon their cooperation, so they decide to become examples to the rest by pursuing a romantic relationship. Eventually they are married. After Quick catches a criminal responsible for a series of murders in the neighborhood, he brings peace to the house at last. They all live in harmony afterwards, except Fish who succumbs to his inescapable desire to drown himself again.
So many elements of this book prove fascinating. It's a captivating read because Winton maintains an element of mystery throughout. Why does the house talk? Who is the strange aboriginal man who hangs about? Why does Fish feel called by the river? There is a distinct bent toward the supernatural throughout the text, doubtless due to the narration of the house. As the final character, the house describes how unsettling it is to be occupied by such discordant people. It lashes out at the families at times when it believes it's being abused by these people. At one point the house even talks with longing about Rose dating a new boy. It sees all and seems to know more about what's happening then the people living in it. This is why the wedding doesn't solve all their problems because the house is still on edge because of the murderer on the loose in the neighborhood.
The families only have success and feel comfortable in their home when they start paying attention to how their decisions influence the energies around them. They are rather irresponsible, selfish people who neglect to consider the greater consequences of their actions, so this is a valuable lesson for all of them. When Sam becomes jealous of the Lambs' business success, he takes it to heart and decides to focus more of his time on being productive. Lester has a similar revelation about the meaning of his life. He is reminded how fleeting life can be because of Fish's obsession with death, so he determines to make he and Oriel focus more on their relationships with their children since they are the inheritors of all of their parents' legacies. For their parts, Quick, Rose, and Fish start paying attention to the energies in the house. They have a childlike ability to understand how certain events affect the general feeling in the house, so they start acting differently. By the end of the book, everyone has learned a valuable lesson about balance and personal responsibility.
