@SouthJerseyChessMom: I read In a Sunburned Country also; it was good. I thought back to it several times while reading The Dry.
In my other book club discussions, readers both liked and disliked the title The Dry. Many felt that the title worked after you read the book but didn’t pull people in who hadn’t or hadn’t heard about it. They discussed whether the term ‘the dry’ was an Aussie expression for drought - hence the looking up of Australian slang. As far as I can tell it isn’t.
@ignatius, “the dry” and "the wet"ARE used to describe seasons in Australia.
We lived in Western Australia for 5-1/2 years, and the book was very evocative to me - the sounds of the birds (which are like none other - a great book about this is “Where Song Began”), the heat, the flies, and especially (and in my mind the most dramatic) the scene where Falk was struggling to keep the lighter from lighting the bush on fire - wildfires are a real danger and the consequences to the town would have been a huge concern. There are “fire danger” meters like we see in National Parks at many of the resorts and along the roads.
The use of “mate” is ubiquitous, added onto almost every sentence, it sometimes seemed. And when you held the door for someone, they’d say “Cheers”. Actually, they’d say “Cheers, mate”. 
But “mate” is used much more by men than women.
I wish this book club discussion had come first … for so many reasons. Thanks @Tiredofsnow - I figured “the dry” to be an expression used in Australia to describe drought but couldn’t find it listed anywhere.
@tiredofsnow great personal info- most enlightening
From article regarding Harper’s inspiration for the drought problem
In a way, I was surprised they were friends in the first place, but maybe each filled a gap in the other: Aaron needed Luke’s recklessness and Luke needed Aaron’s stability. Aaron also benefited from having Barb Hadler in his life.
If Aaron had stayed, I have to believe that he would have eventually learned the truth from either Luke or Gretchen, and they would probably have remained friends because of habit and proximity. However, the secret was still being kept when Aaron left, and time and distance do a number on even the best of friends, so it’s no surprise that they drifted apart.
^^ I agree that if Aaron had stayed in town either Luke or Gretchen would have told him the truth about their whereabouts.
I can’t help believe that Aaron’s dad made the situation worse by leaving. Leaving increased the suspicion of guilt. If Aaron’s dad had strongly believed in his son’s innocence then perhaps he would have stayed and weathered the storm with head held high. Instead it looked as though they ran because they had something to hide. And, yes, I understand that Ellie’s dad and cousin were unpredictable and dangerous, but surely the Falks had friends there.
If they had stayed, maybe Aaron would have found the backpack sooner.
I agree, I think Aaron’s Dad made a mistake by leaving. OTOH, I think that because he knew the alibi was a lie, he felt impelled to do it. I spent my childhood moving every two to three years. I haven’t caught up with too many of my friends, but a couple of them, well it is amazing how we had nothing at all in common any more.
So why was Aaron’s dad so sure that the alibi was a lie?
Didn’t Aaron’s father seem somonenon bike ? Or he saw Aaron coming from the opposite direction without rifle contradicting the alibi? I thought the father had some personal knowledge refuting the alibi ?
Or was that Luke’s father (Gerry) who saw Luke on the bike and knew the two boys weren’t together? (I’m out of town this weekend and forgot my book!)
You are right. Luke’s father knew it was a lie. Aaron’s father just knew his kid. I think he knew he was lying about something even if he hadn’t actually had anything to do with Karen’s death.
Even sadder than Aaron’s father uprooting him from the town is the effect it had on their relationship, I think.
There were a lot of “new” people in the town as well as the old establishment, weren’t there? It really was two stories about two murders, with one person in common (Luke). So many layers of relationships, lies, and history to peel away.
Have any of you seen the movie “The Dressmaker” with Kate Winslet? It keeps popping into my mind.
Also, the Ellie’s note had “falk” written and the father knew he was innocent!
For the longest time I thought that Aaron’s father had seen Luke bicycling away from the general direction that Ellie died but, of course, he didn’t.
I think @mathmom explains it best with
What do you think would have happened it Aaron hadn’t lied --if he told the truth about going fishing alone. Would people have believed him, or would Grant have hounded him about Ellie’s death?
I think Grant and Mal would have continued to accuse Aaron to avoid people looking at them. Of course, if Aaron told the truth then perhaps Luke and Gretchen would have also told the truth about seeing about seeing Ellie alone at the river. It would still have been a mess.
So what should Aaron, Gretchen and Luke have done instead? The lies were problematic, as would the truth have been.
For a lie to be “worthwhile,” it should somehow improve upon the truth. That wasn’t the case here. The lie was supposed to save Aaron from suspicion–but he was still driven out of town. It was supposed to save Gretchen’s reputation–but she still ended up a bit of a loner and an outcast.
The truth would have been messy, but the lie did more harm than good. And I agree with you @silverlady: If Aaron had stayed, and if everyone had told the truth and felt free to discuss all the details of that day, the backpack might have been found sooner. Gretchen actually saw Ellie hide the backpack, although she didn’t realize it at the time: