Courtesy: Text Publishing Are all people redeemable, regardless of what they've done? This is the question that confronts us in Chris Flynn's debut novel, A tiger in Eden. I wondered, as I was reading this book, what inspired Flynn to write - in first person - about a man who was a violent thug during … Continue reading Chris Flynn, A tiger in Eden (Review)
Review – Novels
Merlinda Bobis, Fish-hair woman (Review)
How do you classify a book like Fish-hair woman by Filipino-Australian writer, Merlinda Bobis? Darned if I know, but I'll have a go. It's part war story, murder mystery, political thriller, romance, and historical epic. It draws on the magical realist tradition of writers like Isabel Allende, but overarching all this, it is a book about … Continue reading Merlinda Bobis, Fish-hair woman (Review)
Amitav Ghosh, River of smoke (Review for the Shadow Man Asian Literary Prize, 2011)
I'm rather sorry that I haven't read Amitav Ghosh's Sea of poppies because, while River of smoke does work on its own, I think my experience would have been richer had I read the beginning of the trilogy. This shouldn't affect its Man Asian Literary Prize chances, but you never know. I loved that the … Continue reading Amitav Ghosh, River of smoke (Review for the Shadow Man Asian Literary Prize, 2011)
Yan Lianke, Dream of Ding village (Review for Shadow Man Asian Literary Prize, 2011)
As I started reading Yan Lianke's Dream of Ding Village, I was reminded of a favourite novel of mine, Albert Camus' The plague. However, as I read on, the similarity started to fade - or, perhaps it's just that the particularity of Lianke's conception took over. Both books explore a community living with a highly contagious, … Continue reading Yan Lianke, Dream of Ding village (Review for Shadow Man Asian Literary Prize, 2011)
Gillian Mears, Foal’s bread (Review)
Foal's bread is Gillian Mears' first novel in around 16 years, though she has published short stories in the interim. This is a shame because she is a beautiful writer, particularly when she writes about the place she knows best, the farms of the New South Wales north coast. Foal's bread is about the Nancarrow … Continue reading Gillian Mears, Foal’s bread (Review)
Jahnavi Barua, Rebirth (Review for the Shadow Man Asian Literary Prize, 2011)
What a shame Jahnavi Barua's novel, Rebirth, is, to the best of my knowledge, available "for sale in the Indian Subcontinent only" (backcover). Our Shadow Man Asian team had real problems tracking this one down, but I'm very glad we did manage to obtain some copies, eventually, because this is a beautiful book. The title, … Continue reading Jahnavi Barua, Rebirth (Review for the Shadow Man Asian Literary Prize, 2011)
Michael Sala, The last thread (Review)
It's clear why Affirm Press chose a comment by Raimond Gaita for the front cover of their latest publication, Michael Sala's autobiographical novel, The last thread. Gaita, for readers here who don't know, wrote an award-winning memoir, Romulus, My Father, about growing up as a migrant with mentally unstable parents. Sala's story is different but both … Continue reading Michael Sala, The last thread (Review)
Fergus W. Hume, The mystery of a hansom cab (Review)
Sometimes you just have to break your reading "rules" don't you? Two of mine are that I'm not much into detective fiction (despite having reviewed Peter Temple's Truth here) and I don't read self-published books - but then along came Fergus Hume's The mystery of a hansom cab. It's a classic Australian crime novel - … Continue reading Fergus W. Hume, The mystery of a hansom cab (Review)
Kyung-Sook Shin, Please look after mom (Review for the Shadow Man Asian Literary Prize 2011)
Image by Matt Todd of A Novel Approach Am I right in thinking that mothers are more often the subject of novels and memoirs than fathers? Or, is it just that I'm a woman and am subconsciously (or even consciously, if I'm honest) drawn to the topic? Of course, with the Shadow Man Asian Literary … Continue reading Kyung-Sook Shin, Please look after mom (Review for the Shadow Man Asian Literary Prize 2011)
Jamil Ahmad, The wandering falcon (Shadow Man Asian Literary Prize 2011)
I'm not sure how to describe Jamil Ahmad's Man Asian Literary Prize novel, The wandering falcon. Is it a disjointed novel, a picaresque, or a collection of connected short stories? It doesn't matter greatly - it is what it is - but at least by raising the question I've given you a sense of how … Continue reading Jamil Ahmad, The wandering falcon (Shadow Man Asian Literary Prize 2011)
Whispering Gums 