Reviewed by Antonella Townsend
The Furphy Literary Award was established in 1992. It became a national competition for the first time in 2020 with the topic: Australian life in all its diversity. Out of this year’s seven hundred and fifty entrants, fifteen short stories judged to be the best of the best are presented here.
It is not unusual to disagree with the judges’ decision as to which story was worthy above others. However, the winner brooks no dissent. ‘The Eulogy Business’ by Serena Moss was a stand-out unique composition. Well-constructed, amusing prose, with a gratifying conclusion.
‘Somewhere above the Artesian’ by Charlotte Askew, and ‘All the Moments I Still Live in’ by Amy L. Montague, took out second and third places. These pieces were well-written slices of Australia life, although lacked originality. Unlike ‘The Grim Gripper by Damian O’Donnell, a comedic take on the end of the world as experienced by a die-hard group of drinkers in a country pub. ‘The Undying Love of Specimen A398’ by Emma Westwood was another entertaining yarn told from the perspective of a corpse, namely Barry – aka Baz/Bazza – who met his end while choking on a fried chip at the local pub. It seems the country pub is fertile ground for entertaining and imaginative stories. As is ‘Turkey Dinner’ by Darren Bell, although not entirely pub centred, it is populated by typical outback characters, including teenagers with a gun.
‘The Tendency to Sunburn’ by Mark O’Flynn illustrated life not progressing, more so for girls. Some people get stuck, bad choices keeping them woven into a permanent past. ‘The Role of the Cloaca in Monotreme Phylogeny’, an intriguing title, details a young man studying Australian’s unique animals at university and how his immigrant mother relates to his studies. ‘Familia Defectus’ is an amusing and heart rendering account of a serious young boy trying to do well in a somewhat chaotic family. ‘The Cailleach’ by Philomena van Rijswijk illustrates that kind hearts dwell in less than perfect bodies and women supporting women in a crisis.
‘Halcyon Days’ by Kym Tyzack is about how two women fix a common problem for a young mother. Permanently! ‘Muggy Mouth’ by Jorgia Hamilton is a most interesting piece of writing. Written in second person, set within a seascape with a theme of a child fishing with her father. Impressions of child and fish are woven into one. Then the child is revealed as she grows up, eventually circling back to the younger self. The descriptions of sea, weather and the landscape verge on the poetic, all of which is a pleasure to read.
‘Waiting’ by Tina Huang details the life of Wang an elderly, very lonely, lady whose only joy in life is her daughter, Xin Ya. Their relationship is difficult, or at least hard for Xin Ya. Sadness seeps from the page. Readers can assume where the difficulties lie as they witness a week in Wang’s life.
‘Turn to Snow’ by Jay McKenzie is a story about an Asian girl adopted by an Australian couple:
… they both loved me because I was the answer to their prayers, and not just a temporary answer while they waited for the real answer to come along.
Written in the first-person, readers are not privy to her name but how she experiences her life as her sister is born followed by her parents’ divorce is well written. She feels adrift, her Asian features emphasise her difference. She is keen on photography, fancies herself as an Annie Leibovitz and studies Wilson Bentley’s photography of snowflakes. She so wants to photograph snow but no chance living in Ballina. She thinks there is a miracle happening when soft white feathers drift and settle on her sisters head when they are on a bush holiday. She takes photograph after photograph. In a state of euphoria she realises:
I don’t need to find my people, because I am my people.
The Furphy Anthology 2025 is an enjoyable read.
The Furphy Anthology 2025
Selected Stories from The Furphy Literary Award
Hardie Grant
Hardback
ISBN: 978 1 7614 5301 4
$36.59; 224pp