Kathryn Gossow is a masterful storyteller who displays great insight and sensitivity in her handling of difficult themes. The result, her debut novel Cassandra, is an extraordinary and engaging coming of age tale. “On a remote farm in Queensland, Cassie Shultz feels useless. Her perfect brother Alex has an uncanny ability to predict the weather, and the fortunesContinue reading “Cassandra by Kathryn Gossow”
Tag Archives: Book review
The Street Sweeper by Elliot Perlman
What motivates a writer to compose a work of fiction? To entertain? To provide an escape from mundanities? To enlighten? To invite the reader to consider something new or ponder a fresh perspective on something old? Or to portray in fictional form real events that come alive in the imagination through the characters in a story?Continue reading “The Street Sweeper by Elliot Perlman”
The Birdman’s Wife by Melissa Ashley
What a delight it is to read stories of historical figures passed over by history probably because they were women. An even greater delight when they are told well, as is very much the case with Melissa Ashley’s The Birdman’s Wife. Elizabeth Gould was indeed a remarkable woman. “Inspired by a letter found tucked inside herContinue reading “The Birdman’s Wife by Melissa Ashley”
On ‘Narziss and Goldmund’ by Hermann Hesse
First published in 1930, Narziss and Goldmund forms part of a profoundly insightful body of work by Hermann Hesse. I visited Goodreads and was not surprised to find well over a thousand reviews. I’ve only read the first few, and I’m left wondering what I can add that would contribute to the collective understanding of thisContinue reading “On ‘Narziss and Goldmund’ by Hermann Hesse”
Liam Brown’s Wild Life
As the title suggests, Wild Life by Liam Brown is not a sober story comfortable within the confines of the ordinary and the every day. Instead, protagonist Adam Britman takes the reader on a downward spiral into a nightmarish underworld. Adam is an accounts manager for a digital marketing company, husband, and father of two.Continue reading “Liam Brown’s Wild Life”
Narrative as Navigation Through the Self: Isobel Blackthorn’s Asylum
(‘Narrative as Navigation Through the Self: Isobel Blackthorn’s Asylum’ by Ness Mercieca was originally published in the October 2015 edition of The Tertangala) They say the mind does not create, and that it only cuts and pastes the stimulus it receives from the outside world. Author Isobel Blackthorn has a talent for this, in fact, I oftenContinue reading “Narrative as Navigation Through the Self: Isobel Blackthorn’s Asylum”
Isobel Blackthorn 