The Black Opal

Written by Katharine Susannah Prichard, The Black Opal presents a fiction first published in 1921. Its central concerns include human motives, relationships, conflict, and the consequences of choice, approached through the possibilities of fiction. Rather than depending on topical novelty, the book builds its interest through the interaction of character, situation, and idea. Katharine Susannah Prichard relies on a character-centered narrative style that rewards attention to voice, structure, and perspective, allowing mood and structure to carry as much meaning as subject matter. At roughly 104,284 words with an easy reading profile, it offers a reading commitment that is easy to judge before beginning while still leaving room for close attention. Its continuing value lies in its capacity to make unfamiliar lives and difficult choices emotionally legible. Its strongest appeal lies in the meeting of human motives and character-centered narrative style, giving the book both immediate character and lasting interest.