Panic by Catherine Jinks

Australian author Catherine Jinks has pivoted recently to a series of clever, page-turning domestic thrillers that draw heavily from current issues. Shelter centred around a woman who helped other women escape abusive relationships, The Attack focussed on a teacher who had to deal with a difficult child and his even more difficult family and Traced took its cues from the Covid pandemic. So it comes as no surprise that Bronte, the protagonist of Jinks’ latest thriller Panic, has been the subject of internet abuse and doxing due to an ill-considered Tik Tok video made while drunk. But there is much more to Panic than this, as Jinks also takes on the Wellness industry and the Sovereign Citizens movement.

Panic is an apt name for a novel which opens with Bronte, who is on the run from her life due to the abuse she is receiving from internet followers of her ex-boyfriend. Even on her train trip from Katoomba to escape to Bathurst (almost certainly not far enough), she is recognised by another passenger. Bronte has hoped to hide out by working as a carer for Nell, the ageing mother of Veda. Veda runs a new-age ‘rebirthing’ business on the family property outside of Bathurst. But even before she gets to the property Bronte knows there is something wrong. Veda is pulled over by the police for having fake license plates and it turns out that Veda does not believe in or accept the authority of the State.

Once Bronte arrives at her destination, Jinks slowly turns up the pressure. From the filthy caravan that Bronte is forced to live in, to Veda’s creepy assistant, to strange noises in the night, to Nell’s obsession with the property’s dam. And all that is before Bronte discovers the panic room with a hidden entrance in Nell’s bathroom and meets some of Veda’s fellow Sovereign Citizens. Despite all of the red flags, Bronte feels the need to continue to hide out with Veda, and by the time things are completely out of control it is too late to run.

Jinks once again builds a page-turning thriller out of elements that will be familiar to many readers – the toxicity of the internet, the willingness of people to buy into any hokum that is labelled as wellbeing. But in this case she introduces an element that might be less known to many – a movement of people in Australia who do not believe in the authority of the government (while profiting off many of the benefits of living in a liberal democracy). It is the clash of this ideology with the workings of formal systems (community services, hospitals and police) that bring this story to a head.

Panic is overall another great, page-turning rural thriller from Jinks. Centred around a likeably flawed main character and driven by some unfortunately real real-world issues.

Panic by Catherine Jinks

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8.0/10