Category: Literary Fiction Reviews

We have a copy of Wait for Signs by Craig Johnson to giveaway. To win, just sign up for our Free Newsletter on the right hand side of the site.

The winner will be drawn on the first of December from subscribers who enter via the newsletter. Good luck!

A review of The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro

The Buried Giant is not an easy book. Its simple prose belies the complexity of the narrative, and the multiple layers of meaning as Ishiguro presents us with extremes that are equally unpalatable, and both of which could well be seen as the modern condition. At times, the fog is enough to engulf the reader, and the work seems to be as obscure in its meaning as the location of Beatrice and Axl’s son’s village.

Martin Langford on his new book Ground

Martin Langford reads from his new poetry book Ground, and talks about his overarching principle of spaces places and the evolution of the book as a collection, about time and timelessness, about Australian history and how it plays out in…

Jean Kent talks about The Hour of Silvered Mullet

In this episode held live (complete with rich sound effects) from Lake Macquarie Pub, acclaimed poet Jean Kent reads from her new book The Hour of Silvered Mullet, and talks about the importance of scent, her settings, eco-poetics, the way…

A review of Hush Little Bird by Nicole Trope

The theme of surrendering self is just one topic explored through thoughtful dialogue and prose. The characterisation of a sensitive topic demonstrates how it is possible that horrendous things happen, and even people living under the same roof don’t realise what’s going on. We see first-hand why victims sometimes can’t speak out until many years after the event.

Carolyn Martinez talks about Finding Love

Carolyn Martinez, author of Inspiring IVF Stories and Finding Love: 7 Things you Need to Know Before You Date Again  reads from and talks about her new book, about her path to becoming an author, about her writing process, the…

A review of Go Set A Watchman by Harper Lee

To me, Go Set a Watchman is a worthwhile work, although I wish Ms. Lee had been more precise about the historical context and had made Jean Louise a little less naive. Stylistically, the novel is dated, but that makes it authentic to the place and time in which it is set. Given the shocking instances of racial violence in the United States this past year, it would seem that Go Set a Watchman is relevant to our times.

Ali Cobby Eckermann on her book Inside my Mother

Ali Cobby Eckermann joins us to read from and talk about her latest poetry collection Inside my Mother, as well as the “My Mother’s Heart” sesion at the Sydney Writers Festival, the many meanings of “mother”, both personal, universal, and metaphoric,…

A review of The Eye of the Sheep by Sofie Laguna

It’s not just the characters that descend to their lowest level in this book. It’s also the medical profession, governmental welfare programs, and Mobil Oil where Gavin works scraping rust off pipes. However, Laguna never lets the characters – not even the most peripheral – slip into stereotypes. The Eye of the Sheep is a tender and delicate novel, rich with sympathy and understanding, even when it becomes almost unbearably dark.