The Solid Mandala

The Solid Mandala is the seventh published novel by Australian author Patrick White, Nobel Prize winner of 1973, first published in 1966. It details the story of two brothers, Waldo and Arthur Brown, with a focus on the facets of their symbiotic relationship. The novel is set in the fictional suburb of Sarsaparilla, based on the Sydney suburb of Castle Hill where White lived on his return to Australia with his partner, Manoly Lascaris, in 1948, a setting he often employed in his other books, such as Riders in the Chariot. The book is typical of White's writing style, and is slow-paced, with little considerable action, instead focusing upon the inner turmoils of the aforementioned characters.