Eye of a Rook
Reviewed onIn The Waves, Virginia Woolf writes: “But for pain words are lacking. There should be cries, cracks, fissures, whiteness passing over chintz covers, interference with the sense of time, of …
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Bird
Reviewed onBird, Adam Morris’s second novel, follows the story of Carson, a charismatic young Noongar male who in another life and with different opportunities might be anything at all. But when …
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Smart Ovens for Lonely People
Reviewed onA rabbit works at a karaoke bar in a dystopian Perth. A woman is given a talking oven as therapy. An international ASMR conspiracy involves a mantra about Ron Swanson’s …
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The Salt Madonna
Reviewed onWesterly editor Catherine Noske’s debut novel The Salt Madonna delivers a searing indictment of mob mentality and the stories people will tell – and fervently believe – to sustain their way of life. …
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Fauna
Reviewed onStacey and Isak long for another child and decide to sign up for an experimental genetics program that offers them a chance to add to their family while supporting them …
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Red Can Origami
Reviewed onWhen young Melbourne journalist Ava lands herself a job in the northwest town of Gubinge, she is warned the ‘country will eat you alive’. Instead, she finds ‘it’s got you …
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A Thousand Tongues
Reviewed onIan Reid twists together three tales in an examination of conscience demonstrating that “what is right” is rarely a singular narrative or universal truth. As two post-grad student historians in …
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Hollow Earth
Reviewed onJohn Kinsella engages in a science-fantasy exploration of cultural blindness with his latest novel. Hollow Earth utilises an Edwardian style and narrative viewpoint to satirise modern cultural values. Kinsella combines …
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Refuge
Reviewed onRefuge is a meditation on place and belonging which intertwines the stories of a tenderly portrayed and compelling cast of characters. Each in their bush shacks, Greta and Tinny share …
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The Palace of Angels
Reviewed onThe Palace of Angels is a series of three interlinked novellas about the Palestinian/Israeli conflict, especially the Gaza strip and the West Bank, areas of severe conflict where the people …
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