Reviewed by Wendy Lipke
Most people when setting out on a writing career are told to write about what they know and this is certainly true for Di Morrissey AM especially in her latest book, The Endless Sky.
Having had her own morning TV show and appeared in several episodes of the CBS TV series Hawaii Five-O, she is well placed to share with readers what is involved in preparing for and producing a TV show, which is what this book is about.
Di Morrissey is an environmentalist and activist, and all her novels are inspired by landscape with environmental, political and cultural issues woven into mass market popular fiction. Morrissey published her first book, Heart of the Dreaming, in 1991 and has produced one book a year since then except for a couple of occasions.
The Endless Sky, I found to be a little different in its format from most other books I have read recently. The Acknowledgement section is at the front of this novel following a dedication to a friend lost recently to cancer. The storyline is evident right from the start where in other books the reader is introduced to various characters who at first appear to have no connection, although the reader knows that they will all come together in the end.
TV presenter Nicole and producer friend, Stacie, set out to find inspiration for a new TV series. On their way they find the other key characters to this story. Both women are city people and as they head to the heart of Australia, they discover much information which could be used in their show. They just have to find a theme to link what they have found.
Away from the city they discover archaeological digs, laboratories, fabulous caves and the endless sky. However, they also find mysteries. What happened to the man who drove off into the night, and his car was later found smashed into a tree? They hear of a threat to this pristine part of Australia from big overseas corporations and there is also fossil theft.
Do these things all fit together? Can the information they have discovered be part of a TV program viewers would want to watch? Will they have the freedom to create this as they wish, or will personalities and vested interests derail any new programs?
This 388-page hard-covered novel contains much information that may be new to readers, like a textbook, but it is also a story of human feelings, relationships, both good and bad, environmental issues and the lengths some people will go to for riches. The outback, and the wonders it contains, are described in detail. When the women arrive in Brisbane, chasing new information, key landmarks in this city are also highlighted.
The dust jacket on the book depicts the endless sky above the deep orange of the landscape. Words on the back of the dust cover beautifully sum up the contents of this book. Beneath the endless sky this land reveals the magic – and its menace – as the two friends find more than they could ever have imagined.
In May 2017 Morrissey was inducted into the Australian Book Industry Awards (ABIA) Hall of Fame and given the Lloyd O’Neil Award for service to the Australian book industry. She was also made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in the 2019 Queen’s Birthday Honours in recognition of her “significant service to literature as a novelist, and to conservation and the environment”.
This is an engaging storyline as well as a book with interesting information about towns and people away from the big cities. The inner workings of any big organisation also have their egos and jealousies. These are painted realistically within this story.
The Endless Sky
(2025)
by Di Morrissey
Pan Macmillan
ISBN:978-1-76156-571-7
$39.99; 388pp