The Deal is Alex Miller’s 14th novel, and he’s already well into his 15th, The Minister, which draws on his long friendship with former immigration minister Ian McPhee. Like all his novels, The Deal is big on ideas and big on morals, and choices; it is also about love and friendships. In it you can see glimpses of other characters from earlier books – the mysterious artist Lang Tzu from The Ancestor Game and the young Englishman who, at 16, left his family and England to come to Australia to make his own way. Andy, the young man, tries different things. His father, haunted by his experiences in war, hadn’t become the artist he should have been. Andy carries that legacy with him, along with his father’s strong moral code, even as Lang draws him into a Faustian bargain.

With three unpublished (and bad) novels under his belt, Andy meets a young woman on a bus to Sydney; they are instantly attracted to each other. They decide to start a life together and create a home and family where they can both grow as individuals. Andy begins teaching part-time and meets Lang, the art teacher, who draws Andy into a strange and needy friendship. Lang is an accomplished artist, but has stopped painting; he has destroyed all his works except one portrait of his wife. Andy is fascinated by Lang and becomes obsessed with writing about him; Lang becomes the key that opens the door to Andy’s writing. When Lang asks him to do something questionable, something of which his father would not approve, Andy agrees; to refuse would endanger his writing. The Deal works on many levels, but ultimately it is a moving story from one of our great storytellers.