I confess I bought Eggshell Skull ( Allen & Unwin Books 2018) way back in winter when I heard Bri Lee speak at the Maleny Celebration of Books, and then I brought it home and in the months since, it has sat on my bedside table, in my TBR pile, its very beautiful but slightly unsettling cover beckoning me, while something else – some other trepidation – held me back. I expected that the book would be confronting and raw, and it is. I knew it would be difficult to read, and in places it is. I’d heard it described as ‘self-scouring’ (Helen Garner), ‘grim and intense’ (Jane Caro) and ‘vulnerable’ (Tracey Spicer). And it is all of those things. But it is also – as described by those same women – ‘scorching’, ‘utterly triumphant’ and ‘moving and ever so wise’. read more…

I had heard good things about Angela Meyer’s debut novel, A Superior Spectre (Ventura Press 2018 Peter Bishop) but wasn’t quite sure what to expect – the blurb sounded like some strange genre-bending blend of historical fiction and science fiction. Two points: firstly, that is exactly what I got. And secondly, it hooked me and engaged me much, much more than I would have imagined possible. And I suppose that is because, like all good writing, this novel traverses the human condition, in this case exploring themes such as identity, belonging, death and dying, sexual desire, madness, feminism and friendship, all wrapped up in a shape-shifting, interconnected tale of the past and the future. And if that sounds far-fetched and audacious, well, it is. It is also highly imaginative and adventurous. The book takes risks, and the writing is thoughtful and thought-provoking. read more…