This review first appeared in the Sydney Morning Herald: Spectrum on the weekend of February 26-27. Sleepers Publishing 9781742700380 March 2011 (Aus) Jen Montgomery, known as ‘Monty’, had always considered herself a ‘forever’ person, until years into her marriage when something shifted. Monty began a relationship with another woman. This Too Shall Pass not only reflects on … Continue reading This Too Shall Pass by SJ Finn
Australian literature
The moody city: Meg Mundell on Black Glass
Black Glass Meg Mundell Scribe, March 2011 9781921640933 (Aus) In Meg Mundell’s dark and stylish debut, two sisters and a cast of characters from different tiers of society fight for survival, recognition and connection in near-future Melbourne. The novel is in some ways about maintaining some kind of hope or dreams in a fractured, controlling … Continue reading The moody city: Meg Mundell on Black Glass
Guest review: Lyndon Riggall on Five Wounds by Jonathan Walker & Dan Hallett
Allen & Unwin, 2010 9781742370132 (Aus, US, UK) To call your novel 'illuminated' is a dangerous thing. Five Wounds' claim holds with it the expectation that it should be something beyond a typical read. An 'illuminated novel' must be more than novel: no minor feat, and no small promise. I am glad to say that … Continue reading Guest review: Lyndon Riggall on Five Wounds by Jonathan Walker & Dan Hallett
Guest review: Elizabeth Bryer on Wayne Macauley’s Other Stories
Black Pepper November 2010 9781876044664 (Aus) Reviewed by Elizabeth Bryer Other Stories brings together Melbourne-based Wayne Macauley’s output over the past decade and counting. The collection is filled with ‘other’ stories—tales that are other, or outside the mainstream, in a double sense. They are other in subject, given that they are stories that trace … Continue reading Guest review: Elizabeth Bryer on Wayne Macauley’s Other Stories
Brendan Cowell’s How it Feels
Picador, November 2010 9781405039291 Our protag, Neil, is a young ‘arty’ guy from Cronulla whose concerns oscillate between the people of home, and his burgeoning theatre career. He’s self-absorbed, which we know because it’s reiterated a million times in the book. He can’t make up his mind about which chick to f*ck and keep f*cking. … Continue reading Brendan Cowell’s How it Feels
Aussies up for largest worldwide literary prize: IMPAC Dublin longlist
The longlist for the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award is nominated by libraries worldwide, so it's no surprise that Australian books have been put forward by Australian libraries. Nonetheless, the €100,000 prize is nothing to balk at. It's a long longlist, but an interesting one. I like seeing the flavour of different libraries in different … Continue reading Aussies up for largest worldwide literary prize: IMPAC Dublin longlist
Guest review: Alice Robinson on John Tesarsch’s The Philanthropist
Sleepers Publishing November 2010, 9781740669979 (Aus) reviewed by Alice Robinson John Tesarsch’s accomplished first novel The Philanthropist is a book about parents and children. It is about what we pass on, and what we inherit in turn. ‘The best thing a father can do, of course, is be there for his children. I wasn’t, because … Continue reading Guest review: Alice Robinson on John Tesarsch’s The Philanthropist
The Mary Smokes Boys by Patrick Holland
Transit Lounge August 2010 9780980571790 A version of this review originally appeared in the Byron Shire Echo. Grey North lives in the small town of Mary Smokes, outside of Brisbane. Grey’s mother dies giving birth to his little sister, Irene, and from this traumatic event the novel, and Grey’s character, emerges. On the night his … Continue reading The Mary Smokes Boys by Patrick Holland
Guest review: Derek Motion on Tiggy Johnson’s First Taste
Page Seventeen, 2010 9780980813609 Reviewed by Derek Motion I often have to catch the bus out to the university, and from the stop near my house the journey takes around 15 minutes. This parcel of time is – if you get straight on to the task and don’t waste any time looking out the window … Continue reading Guest review: Derek Motion on Tiggy Johnson’s First Taste
Investing in rainbows: Lisa Lang’s Utopian Man
Utopian Man Lisa Lang Allen & Unwin 9781742373348 2010 (Australia) Edward Cole was the forward-thinking, optimistic and eccentric founder of Cole’s Book Arcade – a utopian hive of 1880’s Melbourne. In the Arcade was stacked all manner of books (which were able to be perused on in-store lounges), pamphlets (including challenging, self-published explorations by Cole), and eventually, … Continue reading Investing in rainbows: Lisa Lang’s Utopian Man
LiteraryMinded 