In The Pacific Room by Michael Fitzgerald, Lewis Wakefield finds himself drawn to a small pencil drawing of Robert Louis Stevenson sketched by the little-known Italian painter, Girolamo Nerli.

The drawing, along with Stevenson himself, become somewhat of an obsession to Lewis. He discovers that Nerli travelled to Samoa in the late 1800s, where Stevenson had settled with his family, to take a likeness of Stevenson, the man the locals called Tusitala—teller of tales.

Lewis then packs his bags and follows his obsession to Samoa, but the reader gets the feeling he is searching for much more when we discover that Lewis’ past is darkened by the deaths of his twin brother and parents. And so begins the unpacking of the lives of Lewis and a Samoan named Teuila who is a fa’afafine (‘in the manner of a woman’), as well as the people surrounding Robert Louis Stevenson in the last days before his death. The story moves from past to present and Fitzgerald does a masterful job of making these transitions seamless and meaningful. As each new person is introduced, what starts out as Lewis’ story quickly becomes a study into duality and staying true to oneself. Fitzgerald also cleverly ties in Stevenson’s story of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde as a link to these themes.

The prose throughout was easy to read but challenging to digest, a sign of superb writing. Lewis’ decision to abandon his bipolar medication allow his sections to take on a dream-like feel, giving us deeper insight into his mind and character. The imagery of Samoa was well done, but I appreciated how the characters were drawn even more. Fitzgerald offers the reader a strong sense of each person but at the same time a strong sense of their mystery.  My only criticism is that I felt like the story was building to something but never achieved the apex.

While I was reading this book, I was intrigued enough to research Robert Louis Stevenson and his time in Samoa. This is a testament to the way Fitzgerald has weaved historical detail into the book. It also pushed me to compare the way cultures react to individual difference which highlighted the truth that the face we show to the world can often be very different to the one within, and that much of life’s struggle is trying to balance the two.

Fitzgerald has crafted an interesting, well-written debut novel which incorporates the last days of Robert Louis Stevenson’s life in Samoa with a present-day narrative. This story is a deft exploration of duality and self, across two cultures and two times.

Renee Mihulka (@rmihulka) is an avid reader, an aspiring author with three manuscripts on submission, and a mum of three. You can find out more about her at www.reneemihulka.com.