AustLit

'Don't worry about the housing bubble, she would say. Don't worry about the fact that you will never be able to afford a home. Worry about the day after. That's when they will all come, with their black shirts and bayonets, and then you will see the drowned bodies and slit necks. And I would stand there and say, But Mum, I'm ten years old.

'Working as a writer hasn't granted Panos the financial success he once imagined, but lobbying against a mosque being built across the road from his home (and the occasional meth-fuelled orgy) helps to pass the time. He's also found himself a gig ghostwriting for a wealthy property developer. The pay cheque alone is enough for him to turn a blind eye to some dodgy dealings - at least for the time being.

'In a world full of flashy consumerism and aspiration, can Panos really escape his lot in life? And does he really want to?'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'A confronting and powerful novel from an exciting new voice - for lovers of Christos Tsiolkas (Loaded) and Luke Davies (Candy).

'He touched my face. When his hand went along my bruised top lip and my almost broken nose, I winced from the pain. His fist went into a deep denim pocket. Pulled out a Syrinapx bottle, twisted the cap off and handed me two light blue pills.'

'How did Bucky get here? A series of accidents. A tragic love for a violent man. An addiction to painkillers he can't seem to kick. An unlikely friendship with an ageing patient.

'Drugs, memories and the objects of his desire are colluding against Bucky. And when it hits him. Bam. A ton of bricks ...

'The shadowy places of Western Sydney can be lit up with the hope of love, but no streetlight can illuminate like obsession.

'A novel of addiction, secrets and misplaced love, this is an Australian debut not to be missed.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.