Our Literature Director, Jill Eddington, has recommended five Australian novels to fill up the summer days.
The Plains
Gerald Murnane
Murnane’s imagery is so deeply Australian with painterly qualities and yet his voice evokes a European sensibility. This is not an easy read but it is definitely worth the effort demanded by great and challenging literature.
Springtime: A Ghost Story
Michelle de Kretser
De Kretser is a master of the narrative and in this enigmatic novella she weaves an intriguing path for the reader, evocatively capturing both the season and city of Sydney. Beautiful!
This House of Grief
Helen Garner
Garner’s greatest skill is to encourage the reader not to make judgment but to listen. Most fascinating are her courtroom observations and through this she forces us to consider the nature of justice.
Night Guest
Fiona McFarlane
Told with humour and compassion, this story is of an aging woman seemingly losing her grip on reality. What the reader is left to consider is the unnecessary speed with which we discount the elderly.
The Narrow Road to the Deep North
Richard Flanagan
I have talked of no other book at such length this year. As only the best books do it helps us understand humanity, it questions our capacity for survival, cruelty, forgiveness and ultimately, love.