Reviewed by Rod McLary Apocalyptic stories – a sub-genre of science fiction – have been written since 1500 BCE when the Ancient Mesopotamians collected tales such as the Sumerian creation myth and the Epic of Gilgamesh. Apocalyptic novels gained considerable popularity after World War II during the Cold War era when the threat of global
Reviewed by Patricia Simms-Reeve Olivia, a writer longing to produce a novel that will be more successful than her book Becky, is made a seductive offer to reconstruct the life of the dead grandmother of a famous billionaire Henry Asherwood the Third, known as Ash, famous as being ‘the sexiest man alive’. He has a
Reviewed by Rod McLary It is a common trope in psychological dramas that a serious event occurs affecting the immediate lives of those directly and indirectly involved. Such an event also reverberates through the many years following the incident until finally it is acknowledged and resolved. This allows for a certain tension as the narrative
Reviewed by Wendy Lipke This novel is the second in a two-book deal the author has with Pan MacMillan. Her first was the book Duck à l’Orange for Breakfast. As both of these titles might suggest, these stories have their own quirkiness. never ever forever, with no capital letters, is written by Sydney-based Karina May,
Reviewed by Patricia Simms-Reeve The pandemic made our modern lives even more complicated and the thoughtful amongst us gained a new perspective on the nature of love, friendship, and what truly matters. Sigrid Nunez, in her latest novel The Vulnerables, presents a profoundly gentle scenario where it emerges that virtually everyone has a vulnerability that
Reviewed by Gail McDonald This was an easy read but with a great story line of love, loss and resilience, written in an engaging and entertaining style and based on actual historical event. The story has a dual setting, one in London in 1940 during the World War II and the German air raids on
Reviewed by Wendy Lipke I love reading the books written by Joanna Nell. They are so uplifting and positive in attitude, filled with humour and their main characters are in their post-work stage of life. From the sunny cover with its quirky font, and the interesting names allotted to places and people, it is a
Reviewed by Wendy Lipke For readers of Fleur McDonald’s books, they will be pleased to follow the storyline of Mia as she takes up her job, as new recruit, for the Barker police force under Detective Dave Burrows. Dave has been a familiar figure in these books and the reader knows that with the breakup
Reviewed by Rod McLary Paul Auster is an elegant and intelligent writer and these two qualities infuse this novel of loss and love. The protagonist – Seymour Baumgartner – has recently lost his wife Anna through a freak accident while she was swimming. Baumgartner was too far away to assist her in any way and
Reviewed by Patricia Simms-Reeve The second novel by Burt Surmon is a complete departure from his first where the hedonistic pursuits of a group’s weekend in South Australia’s wine region was only mildly interrupted by a murder. In Da Capo, his main character is Toby Hill whose quest for an enduring happy relationship with a
Reviewed by Rod McLary Christos Tsiolkas is a powerful writer – his prose is often strong and confronting and he does not shy away from vivid descriptions of sexual desire. One needs only to consider Damascus in which the author unflinchingly sets out Saul’s lusts and society’s cruelty towards women and children; or his first
Reviewed by Patricia Simms-Reeve Charlotte Wood has won accolades for her previous work and her tenth novel will surely win superlatives too. It is set in the harsh landscape of the Monaro, where she spent her childhood. The narrator remains unnamed but a complex thoughtful woman emerges nonetheless. She abandons her marriage to husband, Alex,
Reviewed by Rod McLary Trent Dalton is one of Australia’s favourite authors. His first novel Boy Swallows Universe was a huge success; and was followed by All Our Shimmering Skies. Both novels contain more than a touch of magic realism but are grounded by aggression and violence both implicit and explicit. No reader could easily
Reviewed by Clare Brook Miss Kim Knows, a collection of eight short stories by Cho Nam-Joo, could be likened to a literary jig-saw. Each story offers a different perspective of female lived experience in South Korea, so in its entirety readers are given an impression of South Korean cultural life, at least for one gender.
Reviewed by Wendy Lipke When I first read the title of this book I wondered if it would be like an Australian version of the 1993 movie, Sleepless in Seattle, with Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks. This book by Australian writer, Susan Duncan, is nothing like that story. Susan Duncan has had tragedy to face