AustLit

'[...]McKie's portrait of Mrs. T. J. is animated by an interest in women's inner lives seen also in The Mango Tree. [...]in a turnaround of Tarom's belated discovery of Colonel Wade's false military pretenses, the end of The Crushing affirms the warrior identity as Mrs. T. J.'s essence. [...]the deepest truth of Mrs. T. J.'s fancy dress is that despite, or even because of, her absurdities, she is Tarom's queen.'  (Publication abstract)

'Mary's father, Banjo, and uncle Kevin often speak of the injustices done to the Black community by the Australian government, like being denied the right to vote or being segregated from whites in movie theaters and hospitals. Mary's family knows what that feels like, and though not every family member wants to keep Hiroshi safe, the recognition that his place in the country is not unlike their own compels them to let him stay. The novel, though a fascinating read, exhibits flaws. Because it is largely told from Mary's perspective, pages are consumed by her thoughts, dreams, fears, and worries, and the narrative drags occasionally.'  (Publication abstract)

'Spanning two continents, several decades, and multiple characters, the novel depicts the struggle of characters uprooted by the changes in Victorian English society who travel to Western Australia in hopes of finding a fresh start. Reid's depiction of these two men and the challenges they face suggests a harsh reality for convicts trying to create new lives for themselves following the completion of their sentences: although natural talent is necessary for success, luck also plays an important factor. Readers can enjoy watching the story unfold for Reid's characters as he uses historical details to create a realistic depiction of life in Western Australia during this time, while also enjoying the skill that goes into creating such a carefully crafted novel.' (Publication abstract)

'The routine is punctuated by visits or the occasional glimmer of an event, such as when the Queen drives by on her visit to Australia and the children glimpse "an arm in a long white glove, waving back and forward like something mechanical" (148). On the way here, Mrs. Jewell had even driven down North Street, and through the back window of the ambulance she'd glimpsed her house, small and crouched, blinds pulled down for the heat as if it slept" (132). While the novel's graceful poeticism is the opposite of polemical, a reader cannot help but consider the ongoing debate over vaccines and the reappearance of polio, including cases of polio-like paralysis in the United States.' (Publication abstract)

'While reading Jock Serong's The Rules of Backyard Cricket, I kept asking myself if it is possible to write a socially conscious version of Lethal Weapon, with the same drugs, prostitution, and desperation but without the one-liners and subliminal endorsement of machismo and authoritarian violence. Raised by a single mother after their alcoholic father fails to return home after work one day, the two are in constant competition with each other, frequently getting into scuffles over foul play during backyard matches. First person allows us an excellent look at how Darren sees himself, which is a good choice given that the novel examines how his private life is marred by his public persona-but the level of irony needed to distance the novel from Darren's juvenile musings simply is not present.'  (Publication abstract)

'Alastair Sarre weaves an eerie and enchanting tale of characters caught in a whirlwind of gang violence and bureaucratic jostling for the rights to mine a multibilliondollar gold seam. The apparent antagonist drug dealer Harlin believes in the sub rosa pervasiveness of violence; in his idealized world, a mother "shakes her baby that won't shut up, or she's hard up for a fix so she pimps her daughter to some sicko in the suburbs. Even later in the novel, when Melody falls into the trap of trying to fight depression with alcohol, Steve examines the bottle of vodka: "I looked at it for a while and thought of taking a couple of swigs, just to help me sleep.' (Publication abstract)

'Each title and topic references law in some way, so the first-time reader may be intimidated by the regulatory tone before finding that there are delightful laws for broccoli and rubber gloves between weightier treatments of love and the passage of time. Law evokes perceptions of truth and consequence in the sciences as well, and while a glum magistrate may have cast his veto in the Senate, Pliny the Elder was across town compiling his Naturalis Historia, an encyclopedia not so different from The Law of Poetry. While Rome stamped its brand of law on justice and the stars, something corrosive was stirring in its roots.' (Publication abstract)

'The Hate Race begins with a short summation of Clarke's parents' meeting and arrival in Australia as a young, black British couple, then quickly settles into Maxine's own experience. Maxine grew up in a middle-class family full of Play-Doh and tadpoles and Cabbage Patch dolls. The Hate Race draws our attention to how far we are from living in a postracial world, yet Clarke's critique feels compassionate-angry but not without hope, brutally honest but not without acknowledging the love of family and refuge of loyal friends.'  (Publication abstract)