Darkness on the Edge of Town

Claire Keegan's novella Small Things Like These (2021) has been shortlisted for the 2022 Booker Prize. The judges accurately describe it as 'a story of quiet bravery, set in an Irish community in denial of its central secret. Beautiful, clear, economic writing and an elegant structure dense with moral themes.' 

It's almost Christmas 1985 in the town of New Ross, County Wexford, Ireland. Bill Furlong is busily distributing coal and wood to locals, before closing for the holidays. Times are tough, stores have been boarded up, and some of Furlong's customers can barely afford a load of coal to keep warm in the biting cold. 

One of Furlong's deliveries is to the convent at the edge of town, a training academy for wayward girls who toil in the laundry to atone for their sins. On a visit, Furlong meets one of these girls, and while the nuns outwardly demonstrate kindness, in his gut he feels something isn't right. 

At home with his wife and five daughters, Furlong cannot stop thinking about the convent and the young women there. His own mother, who was 16 when she had her son, may have ended up in a similar situation had it not been for a benefactor who took them in. 

Keegan has done a wonderful job of contrasting the delights of festive season with the darkness of the Magdalene Laundries. There is a strong sense of community in this town, gathering together to turn on the Christmas lights and listen to the choir. At home, the Furlong family makes Christmas cake, decorates the tree and the girls write letters to Santa. If Furlong acts on his instincts, and probes more deeply into what is happening to these girls, he risks being ostracised and the social and economic impacts that will have on his family would be dire. But can he stay silent?

The Magdalene Laundries are a shameful part of Irish history in which an estimated 30,000 young women were confined in institutions operating from the 1700s until the mid-1990s. Run by Catholic nuns, the horrors of these facilities finally came to light when a mass grave was found in 1993. An inquiry followed and in 2013 the Irish leader Taoiseach Enda Kenny issues a formal state apology calling the laundries 'the nation's shame'. 

While Keegan only hints at the horrors of these facilities in Small Things Like These, in subtle ways she communicates the powers of the Church and the risks of speaking out. 

I really enjoyed this Dickensesque novella. Keegan's prose is rich, and in Furlong she has created a wonderfully memorable character. I am not certain that this should win the Booker Prize, but I am pleased to have been introduced to this gifted writer. 

Booker Prize Shortlist 2022

The Shortlist was announced today for the 2022 Booker Prize. The thirteen titles on the Longlist have been whittled down to six:

• NoViolet Bulawayo - Glory (Zimbabwe)
• Percival Everett - The Trees (USA)
• Alan Garner - Treacle Walker (UK)
• Shehan Karunatilaka - The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida (Sri Lanka)
• Claire Keegan - Small Things Like These (Irish)
• Elizabeth Strout - Oh William! (USA)

This is an interesting shortlist without an obvious front runner.  I haven't read any of these books yet (as always, whenever I read a longlisted title it is guaranteed not to make the shortlist - sorry Graeme Macrae Burnet!).  But I really want to read the titles by Claire Keegan, NoViolet Bulawayo, Percival Everett and have heard good things about the novel by Shehan Karunatilaka. 

A video of the shortlist announcement is available below. 

The Winner of the Booker Prize, and recipient of £50,000, will be revealed on 17 October. Better get reading!

This Life

Jennifer Down won the 2022 Miles Franklin Award for her second novel, Bodies of Light (2021). It is an unflinching story of one woman's life, from a traumatic childhood in the suburbs of Melbourne, to reinvention in New Zealand and America as an adult, as she attempts to reconcile her past and claim her future.

Maggie Sullivan has reinvented herself in an effort to shed her past. After a vulnerable childhood, in which she experienced abuse and neglect as she was shuffled between foster care, group homes and institutions, Maggie continually tries to find a normal, quiet life. She is smart and full of potential, but at a disadvantage because of her upbringing and the systems and people who repeatedly failed her. When we first meet Maggie she is in her forties, living in America with a different name. An unsolicited Facebook message from someone looking for Maggie causes her to reflect on her past and her evolution from the child she was to the adult she is today. 

Bodies of Light explores difficult subject matters - child abuse, neglect, death, drug use, grief and more - but unlike so many novels, this trauma is not exploited for a voyeuristic reader. Maggie's story is authentic, and told with such beauty and trust. Her memories may be unreliable, clouded by loss and black spots, but her desire to make something of herself and find peace in her life is compelling. Along the way Maggie finds people who love her and help her on her journey, but given how often she has been let down in the past, she is always on the lookout for when she will be abandoned again. 

Every so often a character comes along that gets under your skin. I found myself so invested in Maggie's story that I could not stop thinking about her. Listening to the audiobook as I read, heightened my immersion in Maggie's life. 

Down is a poetic author, choosing adjectives that describe Maggie's world. Every sentence is beautifully crafted, and despite the dark themes, there is hope - a light in the darkness. While many readers might be put off by the subject matter, I would encourage people to give Bodies of Light their time. There are Maggies all around us and society should not shy away from understanding these experiences. 

I had the pleasure of hearing Jennifer Down speak at the Sydney Writers' Festival in May this year. She spoke about the challenges of writing this novel while working full time, the research she undertakes and the reasons why she wanted to tell this story. I am so pleased she has been recognised for this important novel with many award nominations and receiving the Miles Franklin Award. She deserves an audience for her work. I will certainly be keen to read more from Jennifer Down.

File Corruption

Emily St John Mandel's brilliant novel Station Eleven (2014) centred around a devastating pandemic and was told in a non-linear way, switching timeframes between before, during and after the world collapsed. In The Glass Hotel (2020) Mandel creatively braided timelines and stories of people impacted by the collapse of a Ponzi scheme. In her latest novel, Sea of Tranquility (2022) Mandel ups the ante. She blends characters and locations from her previous novels with new people and places, and expands the narrative across five centuries.

It begins in 1912 when Edwin St John St Andrew is exiled to Canada after embarrassing behaviour at a family dinner party. He journeys across Canada, making his way to the remote fictional town Caiette, British Columbia (the site of The Glass Hotel), where he witnesses a strange phenomenon in the woods. In amongst the trees he is overwhelmed by the sound of a violin and experiences a sense of 'a flash of darkness, like sudden blindness or an eclipse. He has an impression of being in some vast interior, something like a train station or a cathedral...'. 

This sensation has been experienced in other times and places. The music is captured on film and used in a performance by a composer in 2020. Author Olive Llewellyn has a scene like this in her bestselling novel Marienbad. She travels from her home in Moon Colony Two to Earth on a book tour in 2203 when a pandemic breaks out. Later, in 2401, Time Institute Detective Gaspery-Jacques Roberts is sent back and forth in time to discover the source and make sense of this phenomenon.

It is hard to explain this novel to those unfamiliar with Mandel's work - its a kind of science/speculative/ literary fiction that defies pigeon-holing. You don't need to have read her previous novels to enjoy Sea of Tranquility. However, as a fan of her work I gained such pleasure from revisiting familiar characters and locations. It is a joy to marvel at the brilliance of the Mandel Universe. 

Mandel's prose is beautifully poetic and there is something hopeful in the way she explores themes of colonisation, climate change and pandemics. People endure dark days and remain resilient in the face of the difficult and unknown. While I loved her previous novels, Mandel has matured as an author and in Sea of Tranquility she has perfected her craft. The way in which the novel builds to its climax, bringing the story lines together, is brilliant and surprising. 

My reviews of Emily St John Mandel's previous novels  Station Eleven (2014) and The Glass Hotel (2020) are also available on this blog.

Mind Games

Scottish author Graeme Macrae Burnet has recently been longlisted for the Booker Prize for his latest novel, Case Study (2021). 

The premise of Case Study is that a writer, GMB, is penning a biography of Arthur Collins Braithwaite, a radical psychiatrist in 1960s London who became famous for his books Kill Your Self and Untherapy. GMB has been sent five notebooks purporting to be written by one of Braithwaite's clients. This client is convinced that Braithwaite is a narcissistic charlatan who encouraged her sister's suicide, so she poses as a woman named Rebecca Smyth in an effort to uncover Braithwaite's culpability. But the deeper she delves, the more she loses herself.  

Braithwaite is an eccentric character. He lives a swinging sixties counterculture life, railing against his Northern upbringing. Like RD Laing, the real Scottish psychiatrist who was a key figure in the anti-psychiatry movement, Braithwaite holds controversial views (there is no true self) and his untherapy practice is unconventional. In his book Untherapy he describes a patient 'Dorothy', whom 'Rebecca' instantly recognises as her sister. 

When she becomes Rebecca, the unnamed author of the notebooks transforms into a different person - more confident, outspoken and clever. But the longer she stays as Rebecca, the more she loses herself. Will Rebecca become the dominant self? Will she discover what happened to her sister Veronica? Will Braithwaite uncover her true identity? The stakes are high, and the woman behind Rebecca lacks her alter ego's quick wits and resilience. 

Case Study is a wonderfully strange novel. Like his incredible previous novel, His Bloody Project (2015), Burnet toys with readers by playing with structure and style. The notebooks are interspersed with GMB's biography of Braithwaite and excerpts of Braithwaite's Untherapy. While all of this is entirely fictional, Burnet's inventive use of references together with peppering the story with real life people and places, gives Case Study a realism that propels the story along. 

Burnet is such an innovative writer and Case Study provides much satirical humour and entertainment. I really enjoy an unreliable narrator, and Rebecca is definitely unreliable. While I found that the last third of the novel lost momentum, I quite enjoyed Case Study and was interested to see what happened to this poor woman and her quest to find the truth. 

The Sanctuary

There is nothing better then curling up with an engrossing book that you can read in one sitting. I did that with Julie Otsuka's delightful novel, The Swimmers (2002).

At an underground pool, unrelated swimmers methodically take their laps. The slow lanes features the water walkers, learners and those who swim to relax. The fast lanes are for the committed speedsters who plough through the water with determination. In the middle are lanes for those who swim for the solace, escaping their life above ground, rhythmically perfecting their preferred strokes. The swimmers do not really know each other but know each other's routines. 

One day a crack appears at the bottom of the pool. The swimmers theorise about the cause and consequences. Is it some dark malevolent force? Subsidence? Earthquake? Regardless, the swimmers know that at some point the pool will close for investigation and repair. What will the swimmers do without their daily plunge? Where else will they find such sanctuary?

The Swimmers is narrated by the daughter of an elderly swimmer, Alice. Alice's dementia is worsening and bringing back memories of her childhood and when she was placed in a Japanese internment camp during WW2. Outside the pool, Alice and her daughter recast their relationship.

Otsuka is a poetical writer. The first section of the book is written in first person plural as the swimmers speak collectively. It is lively and engaging, humorous and clever. The second half, is more serious, exploring the mother/daughter relationship in the face of a debilitating illness. 

At less than 200 pages, Otsuka's novel is surprisingly deep. It is a loving testament to finding beauty and meaning in our day-to-day lives and adapting to the cracks that disrupt them.

Booker Prize Longlist 2022

This week the Longlist was announced for the 2022 Booker prize. The thirteen titles nominated are dominated by six authors from America, three British, two Irish along with an author from Zimbabwe and one from Sri Lanka.  

The Booker Prize Longlist as often a mixed bag of novels, but what I love about the Longlist is that it introduces me to many authors and books I do not know. For example, from last year's Longlist I read and really enjoyed Kazuo Ishiguro's Klara and the Sun.

Neil MacGregor, chair of the judges, said of the 2022 Booker Longlist:

'The skill with which writers shape and sustain those variously imagined worlds, and allow others to inhabit them, has been our main criterion in proposing this longlist of 12 books. Exceptionally well written and carefully crafted in whatever genre, they seem to us to exploit and expand what the language can do. The list that we have selected offers story, fable and parable, fantasy, mystery, meditation and thriller.'

I haven't read any of the books on this year's Longlist yet, so let's take a quick look at the nominees:

NoViolet Bulawayo - Glory  (Zimbabwean)
Glory is a postcolonial fable, set in a fictional African country Jidada where an elderly tyrannical horse is disposed. A chorus of animals narrate this tale as Bulawayo tells the story of the military overthrow of Robert Mugabe, Zimbabwe's President (1987-2017). The judges called this novel: 'An ingenious and brilliant political fable that bears witness to the surreal turns of history'. Bulawayo was shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 2013 for her debut novel We Need New Names.

Graeme Macrae Burnet - Case Study  (Scottish)
A woman is convinced that a psychotherapist has driven her older sister to commit suicide. Determined to confirm her suspicions, she poses as a client and documents her sessions. As the sessions continue, the women begins to question her own identity. Graeme Macrae Burnet is an inventive writer who plays with form and style. Set in the 1960s, London counter-culture is the backdrop to an innovative novel about radical psychiatry. I absolutely loved Burnet's novel His Bloody Project, shortlisted for the 2016 Booker Prize. I have just started reading Case Study and I am really enjoying it. (Update: read review)

Hernan Diaz - Trust  (American)
A complex, multi-layer novel exploring a fictional couple, Benjamin and Helen Rask, a wealthy Wall Street tycoon and his glamorous wife. The judges said of this novel: 'There is a dazzling intelligence behind this novel, which challenges us to rethink everything we know about the institutions on which nations are built and the narratives by which stories are told. Sly, sophisticated, insistently questioning, Diaz writes with assurance, determined to rob us of every certainty'.

Percival Everett - The Trees  (American)
In the town of Money, Mississippi, a series of brutal murders are investigated by a pair of detectives. They face resistance from the local sheriff, the coroner, and the local community. Each crime scene resembled that of Emmett Till, a young black boy lynched decades earlier. Are these killings retribution? The judges said of this novel: 'Eerie, provocative, blackly comic Southern noir. A page-turner with a sharp, provocative edge, as it harks back to the real-life murder of young Emmett Till, it has important things to say about race'. (Update: read review)

Karen Joy Fowler - Booth  (American)
In 1865 John Wilkes Booth assassinated President Abraham Lincoln. In this historical novel, Fowler explores the Booth family, taking the spotlight off the assassin and focussing on those around him. The judges said of Booth: 'With an eagle eye and a bone-dry wit, Fowler introduces the Booths, a 19th century family forged by theatrical ambition and agonising grief within a household steeped in racism and much-making of the disunited States'.  Fowler was previously shortlisted for the booker in 2014 for We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves.

Alan Garner - Treacle Walker  (British)
A young boy enjoys reading comics and collecting marbles. Treacle Walker is a rag-and-bone man who claims he is a healer. The boy trades some items for something he hopes has magical properties.  The judges said of this novel: 'This tiny book compresses all his themes - time, childhood, language, science and landscape entangled - into a single, calmly plaintive cry'. At 88, Alan Garner is the oldest author to be long listed for the Booker.

Shehan Karunatilaka - The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida  (Sri Lankan)
Set in 1989, in Colombo, Maali Almeida is a war photographer, gambler and closet queen. He wakes in the afterlife to find that he has been killed but has no idea by whom. He has seven moons to contact his loved ones and alert them to some important photographs. The judges said of this novel: 'Life after death in Sri Lanka: an afterlife noir, with nods to Dante and Buddha and yet unpretentious. Fizzes with energy, imagery and ideas against a broad, surreal vision of the Sri Lankan civil wars. Slyly, angrily comic'. 

Claire Keegan - Small Things Like These  (Irish)
In a small Irish town, Christmas 1985, Bill Furlong is busy as a coal and timber merchant. When making a delivery at a convent, he discovers there is something wrong there. The convent is one of the Catholic Church's Magdalen Laundries. As a father of five daughters and born of an unwed mother himself, Bill cannot reconcile the conditions for the women in the convent with his definition of charity. The judges said of this novel: 'A story of quiet bravery, set in an Irish community in denial of its central secret. Beautiful, clear, economic writing and an elegant structure dense with moral themes'. (Update: read review)

Audrey Magee - The Colony  (Irish)
The judges said of this novel: 'The summer of 1979. Sectarian murders claim victims across Ireland. An idyllic island fishing community off the west coast becomes the labroratory in which Magee dissects the gulf between what Ireland is and how the rest of the world wants to fantasise it.' This small island is host to an  English painter and a Frenchman, outsiders who, in their own ways, view themselves as saviours of this community. Through this narrative, Magee explores colonialism, cultural identity and violence. 

Maddie Mortimer - Maps of our Spectacular Bodies  (British)
This debut novel explores the life of a woman, Lia. When she is diagnosed with a life-threatening illness, Lia, her husband Harry and their daughter Iris, are each derailed. Lia reflects on her past and the people who shaped it. As her illness progresses another voice begins to tell her story: the cancer that is slowly killing her. The judges said of this novel: 'Deliriously inventive and viscerally moving, Mortimer's debut is a patterned, protean narrative that astonishes and overwhelms'. 

Leila Mottley - Nightcrawling  (American)
In 2015, scandal erupted when a group of Oakland police officers sexually exploited a vulnerable teenage girl. This scandal inspired Mottley's debut novel. Kiara struggles to make ends meet when she turns to prostitution in desperation. Picked up by the police, they take advantage of her. The judges said of this novel: 'Nightcrawling is a dazzling and electrifying novel set in the streets of Oakland, where the protagonist Kiara will face a justice system that oppresses young black women. A spellbinding story and a Catcher in the Rye for a new generation.' At only 20 years old, Leila Mottley is the youngest Booker longlister.

Selby Wynn Schwartz - After Sappho  (American)
This is the debut novel by Selby Wynn Schwartz, a writing teacher at Stanford University. The historical novel explores the lives of women, many of them well known feminists, who took control over their own lives at the turn of the twentieth century. Sarah Bernhardt, Isadora Duncan, Lina Poletti, Gertrude Stein, and Virginia Woold are among the voices in this tale. The judges said of this novel: 'A poetic patchwork of fragments of literary history that together take shape as an intergenerational tale of the Lesbian family. An ancestry eruditely, playfully recovered.'

Elizabeth Strout - Oh William! (American)
Strout is well known for her Olive Kitteridge and Lucy Barton novels. Oh William! is the third novel in her Barton series. Lucy is invited by her ex-husband William on a quest to investigate a family secret. As they travel together the learn more about each other and themselves. The judges said of this novel: 'This is meticulous observed writing, full of probing psychological insight. Lucy Barton is one of literature's immortal characters - brittle, damaged, unravelling, vulnerable and most of all, ordinary, like us all.'

Before the longlist was released, I predicted which novels would make the longlist. I correctly guessed that NoViolet Bulawayo and Audrey Magee would be on the list, but was wrong about the rest. I am disappointed that Douglas Stuart (Young Mungo) and Julie Otsuka (The Swimmers) were not nominated. I am also surprised at the overemphasis on American writers and saddened that there are no Canadian or Australian authors nominated.

I have started Case Study (and am already engrossed!). I also have the novels by Keegan, Mottley, Diaz and Fowler so will try and read many of these before the shortlist is revealed. 

The Shortlist will be announced on shortlist on 6 September 2022 and the winner in October. Better get reading!

Blue Moon

I have written before about how much I enjoy Australian crime thrillers. I have long been a fan of Jane Harper, Chris Hammer, Sarah Bailey and have recently become acquainted with Garry Disher. So whenever I hear about a new voice in Australian noir, I jump at the chance to find a new thriller I can sink my teeth into.

In May 2022 journalist Matthew Spencer published his debut novel, Black River. Set in Sydney at the peak of summer, there is a serial killer on the loose which has the whole city on edge. The 'Blue Moon Killer' has murdered two people already in Gladeseville, a suburb on the north side of the Parramatta River. When a body of a teenage girl is found at an elite boys school in North Parramatta, more than 10km up river, there are enough similarities to concern police that they will have to cast a wider net. 

Adam Bowman is a journalist working the late night shift at a national paper owned by a media baron. He goes out to cover the case and has an advantage as he grew up at this elite school where his father was a teacher. He knows the shortcuts and secret entries, so can make his way into the sprawling campus with ease. 

Detective Sergeant Rose Riley is a driven investigator determined to crack the case. Working as part of an investigative team Riley recruits Bowman to assist with well timed leaks and exclusives. The relationship between the two is symbiotic, but not wholly trusting, and I was pleased that there wasn't a romance whacked into this storyline. 

The characters are well crafted with sufficient information to make them realistic, and enough backstory yet to be revealed should this novel end up becoming the first in a series.  I really liked how Spencer portrayed the state of journalism - with Bowman working at an office which has been gutted by cutbacks, an absentee media owner who calls the shots, and the pressure to break stories with a blistering headline and exclusive access.

The story was complex enough to keep the reader guessing, with a lot of characters to keep track of. The page-turning pace builds to an exciting and satisfying conclusion. Spencer has an intriguing writing style, in which he uses Aussie slang and brand names, some of which may be problematic for an overseas market. But personally I loved it. Having made Sydney my home for the past 25 years, I appreciated the Spencer wove in aspects of the city from Surry Hills to Balmain to Parramatta. After so many Aussie crime novels set in fictional outback towns, it was great to have one set here in the Harbour City. 

Overall, an excellent debut novel and a wonderful new voice in Australian crime thrillers. 

Booker 2022 Predictions

The Booker Prize Longlist will be announced next week. It is always difficult to predict which novels will make the cut. Sometimes there will be obvious contenders, but the Booker always throws in some surprises. 

To be eligible, the novel has to have been written in English and published in UK/Ireland between 1 October 2021 and 30 September 2022. While I am not across when novels were published in UK/Ireland, I am going to take a guess at who might appear on the longlist.

My predictions are:

• Monica Ali - Love Marriage
• NoViolet Bulawayo - Glory
• Louise Erdrich - The Sentence
• Mohsin Hamid - The Last White Man
• Audrey Magee - The Colony
• Otessa Moshfegh - Lapvona
• Julie Otsuka - The Swimmers
• Douglas Stuart - Young Mungo
• Hanya Yanagihara - To Paradise

I would love it if Jennifer Down were nominated for her award winning novel Bodies of Light, or Jennifer Egan for The Candy House, but I am not sure if they meet the eligibility rules.  

The longlist will be announced on 26 July, followed by the shortlist on 6 September and the winner announcement in October. 

Miles Franklin Award Winner 2022

The winner of the 2022 Miles Franklin Literary Award, Australia's most prestigious literary award, was announced via a live online presentation on 20 July 2022. This year the award and its $60,000 prize went to Jennifer Down for her novel, Bodies of Light.

Maggie Sullivan is institutionalised, growing up in a foster homes and group facilities after her father is jailed. Neglected and abused, by 19 she is diagnosed with depression and trauma. The novel follows Maggie into adulthood, when she is forced to encounter her long buried past. 

I heard Jennifer Down speak at the Sydney Writers Festival in May and found her extremely impressive. Bodies of Light was also shortlisted for the Stella Prize. I am so pleased that she won and that her work will receive a higher profile. 

The judges said "Bodies of Light invites readers to witness the all-too-often concealed, destructive forces of institutionalised care. With extraordinary skill and compassion, Down has written an important book which speaks to an urgent issue in contemporary Australian life.”

Jennifer Down said “It’s a profound honour to be awarded the Miles Franklin Literary Award—I’m still pinching myself. To be longlisted, and then shortlisted, among authors whose works I’ve long read and admired, already felt like a stroke of exceptional fortune. I was, and am, elated to be in the company of writers embracing stylistic, thematic and formal diversity, whose works explore such different slivers of ‘Australian life’.”

The announcement of the winner was live streamed:

Sisters of Crete

In the past few years I have become fascinated with novels that retell Greek myths from the perspective of women. Madeline Miller's Circe is perhaps the best example, taking a fairly minor character from Homer's Odyssey and putting her centre stage. Pat Barker's delicious trilogy about Troy is narrated by Briseis, Achilles' slave. Natalie Haynes, Margaret Atwood and other authors have retold these myths for a contemporary audience.

I am not entirely sure why I love these novels so much. Perhaps it is because the authors take a familiar story and tell it through a female lens. Perhaps it is because the novels breath new life into classic tales. Regardless, I anticipate my obsession will continue and I am currently planning a trip to Greece where I can walk in the mythical footsteps of these wonderful characters. 

My most recent adventure is with Jennifer Saint's debut novel, Ariadne (2021). The story of Ariadne is well known, but for those unfamiliar the next paragraph contains spoilers. 

The daughter of King Minos of Crete and his wife Pasiphae, Ariadne and her sister Phaedra grew up in a palace. Their half-brother was the Minotaur - a half-man, half-bull beast - who resided in a complex labyrinth under the palace. Each year the seven young men and women were sent from Athens to be sacrificed to the Minotaur, as Minos' price for the killing of his son. One year, Theseus, son of Aegeus, King of Athens, is among those to be sacrificed. He slays the minotaur and takes Ariadne with him to Naxos. On Naxos, Ariadne meets the god of wine, Dionysus, whom she eventually marries. The tale, of course, ends in tragedy with Ariadne meeting her fate at the hands of Perseus, slayer of Medusa. 

Jennifer Saint tells the story of Ariadne's life with the first third concentrated on her time at Crete, the next third on Naxos, and the final part wraps up the tale. In telling this story, Saint was able to bring in many different myths - Icarus, Medusa, Semele, Daedalus, Acoetes, and more. While this was enjoyable, I can't help but think that some of these side-stories could have been left out to allow more time for Phaedra's story and to flesh out the characters. 

As a protagonist, Ariadne was passive and frustrating. She was a compliant daughter destined to become a compliant wife. Ariadne makes a significant decision early on which sets the story in motion. But just when you think she will be the hero of her own story, she reverts to be passive and compliant again. She spends a lot of time walking around her vineyards, turning a blind eye to what might be happening around her. Her sister Phaedra is far more interesting. A curious, adventurous child, Phaedra ends up in Athens, forced into a role she does not want. The chapters then alternate between Ariadne and Phaedra, which enliven the story and I found myself wanting more Phaedra.  But as the novel heads towards its conclusion, when both women take their fates into their own hands, the ending is hurried and unsatisfying.  

Despite my reservations about Saint's passive characterisation of Ariadne, the pacing which felt rushed at the end, and some jarring language choices, overall I enjoyed this debut novel. Saint's second novel, Elektra (2022), is already on my bookshelf. 

London Calling

It's 1947 and Billie Walker's private inquiry building is bustling. After the high profile case covered in The War Widow (2019) - Tara Moss' first Billie Walker mystery - Walker has become well known in Sydney and has seen a rise in clients. Much of her work involves helping people secure grounds for divorce, by procuring evidence of infidelity. She and her trusty assistant Samuel Baker tail men through the seedy underbelly of Kings Cross to take photographs of liaisons. It is not her preferred kind of investigation, but it pays the bills.

A new client arrives with a tantalising offer. Vera Montgomery's husband is missing, last seen in Paris two years earlier. Mrs Montgomery cannot move on her life unless she can secure a divorce or proof of death. Would Billie travel to Europe to find out what happened to him? 

Billie has many memories of Paris from her time as a war correspondent. It was where she first met her photojournalist husband Jack, who went missing during the Warsaw Uprising in 1944. With an all-expense paid trip to London and Paris, Walker may also have an opportunity to investigate more than one disappearance. But first, she and Sam have to deal with whoever is following them...

The Ghosts of Paris (2022) is a thrilling follow up to The War Widow (2019). Moss' knows how to write a gripping page-turner, with enough action and plot twists to keep the reader guessing. Packed with historical detail, we are transported to another time and place. Taking the action to Europe allows Moss to explore the post-war recovery and the societal differences with Australia. I love Moss' characterisation of Billie - a quick-witted, independent woman in a man's world. Billie is an intelligent, empathetic and well-rounded heroine. 

While we may need to wait for the next Billie Walker novel, Moss has recently confirmed a two-book deal with Harper Collins Australia to expand the series. I can't wait to see what Billie gets up to next and to spend more time in her world. Until then, we'll always have Paris.

Miles Franklin Shortlist 2022

 The 2022 Miles Franklin Award shortlist was announced this week, made up of the following works:

• Michal Mohammed Ahmed - The Other Half of You
• Michelle de Krester - Scary Monsters 
• Jennifer Down - Bodies of Light
• Alice Pung - One Hundred Days
• Michael Winkler - Grimmish

Richard Neville, Chair of the judging panel, said of the shortlist:

 “The outstanding feature of this year's Miles Franklin shortlist is the range of dynamic and diverse voices that address the experience of pain, intergenerational trauma and intergenerational dialogue with compassion, exceptional craft and rigorous unsentimentality."

There hasn't been much time between longlist and shortlist so I have not read any of these titles.  I did attempt to read the longlisted Grimmish, which I found interesting though difficult to enjoy. Unfortunately had to return it to the library unfinished as I ran out of time so not sure if I will complete that. 

When I predicted which titles would make the cut, I had expected Larissa Behrent, Jennifer Down, Michelle de Krester, John Hughes, Claire Thomas and Christos Tsiolkas to make the shortlist - so I only guessed right on two of the titles. I had not predicted the controversy surrounding novelist John Hughes and allegations of plagiarism, which saw his novel pulled from eligibility.

Having seen Jennifer Down at the Sydney Writers Festival talk about her novel Bodies of Light, I am going to root for this to win. But I also like the idea of Grimmish taking out the prize for its unique form and creativity. 

The Winner of the $60,000 prize will be revealed on 20 July 2022.

Women's Prize for Fiction Winner 2022

The winner of the 2022 Women's Prize for fiction has just been announced. Ruth Ozeki won for her novel, The Book of Form and Emptiness.

Chair of Judges Mary Anne Sieghart announced the winner, stating:

“In an extraordinary year for fiction written by women, and from an incredibly strong shortlist, we were thrilled to choose Ruth Ozeki's The Book of Form and Emptiness, which stood out for its sparking writing, warmth, intelligence, humour and poignancy. A celebration of the power of books and reading, it tackles big issues of life and death, and is a complete joy to  read. Ruth Ozeki is a truly original and masterful storyteller.”

The Book of Form and Emptiness is the story of 14 year old Benny Oh who hears voices after his father dies. When his mother becomes a hoarder, the objects in his house speak louder, so Benny seeks respite in the local library.

Ruth Ozeki received the £30,000 prize and the award ‘Bessie’, a limited-edition bronze figurine. American-Canadian author and film-maker Ozeki is probably best known for her novel A Tale for the Time Being (2013) which was shortlisted for the Booker Prize.

I have not yet read this novel. I had been hoping that Meg Mason would win for her wonderful Sorrow and Bliss, or Maggie Shipstead for her epic Great Circle. However I will now move Ozeki up my reading list.

Patron Saint

In 2020 Douglas Stuart shot to fame with his debut novel Shuggie Bain (2020), winner of the Booker Prize. Many authors struggle to write their second novel, and the stakes were particularly high for Stuart following the critical and commercial success of Shuggie Bain, which has sold over a million copies. His second novel, Young Mungo (2022), was released earlier this year and I am so pleased that Stuart has crafted a brilliant, engrossing novel with heartbreaking, memorable characters.

Shuggie Bain told the story of an alcoholic single mother trying to raise her family in 1980s Glasgow. While her older children leave the home, her youngest son Shuggie stays. Young Mungo follows a familiar path, featuring a similar family in 1990s Glasgow, but instead the focus is on the teenage son. 

Mungo Hamilton is a fifteen year old boy with a kind heart. He never knew his father but is deeply devoted to his mother Maureen, called Mo-Maw. Unfortunately Mo-Maw is not maternal, resenting that she has wasted her best years on her three weans. She routinely drinks herself into a state where she disappears for days on end, shacking up with some man, and then returning to wreck havoc on the family. Mungo's closest ally is his clever older sister Jodie. She has effectively raised Mungo and is desperate to escape this life by going to university and make something of herself. 

The poor family live in a housing commission scheme in which there is sectarian violence between Protestants and Catholics. The Hamiltons are Protestant and Hamish's older brother Hamish (or Ha-Ha) is a wee gangster - a hard man leading a youth gang to steal, fight and run from the polis. Hamish terrorises everyone around him and he seeks to recruit sensitive Mungo and toughen him up, to bolster Ha-Ha's reputation and his gang numbers.

From the outset we know that something bad is going to happen in this family. We first meet Mungo as he is being shipped off by his mother on a camping trip with two older men - Gallowgate and 'Saint' Christopher - presumably hoping they will teach him some life skills and be a father figure to the boy. The novel shifts back and forth from Mungo's life in Glasgow and what transpires on this trip. Overtime we learn more about these two men, how Mungo ended up with them, and how Mungo is changed as a result of this experience. These chapters are tense and dark - a deep foreboding creeps over the reader each time we are taken from Glasgow to the loch. While life in Glasgow is also hard, at least we know that Mungo is safer here than in isolation at the campsite. 

Some months before the camping trip, Mungo befriended sixteen year old James Jameson, a Catholic boy who also lives in the tenements. His mother has died and his father is largely absent, working on an offshore rig. James takes comfort in his pigeons, spending most of his time in his doocot nurturing these birds. The boys become friends and over time they realise the extent of their feelings for one another. But it is not safe in this place or at this time to be gay. Mungo and James have to hide their love, plus with the sectarian violence all around them, these star-crossed lovers should not even be friends. They make plans to run away together as soon as Mungo turns sixteen. 

Stuart covers complex themes, writing about toxic masculinity, sexuality, violence, addiction, poverty, politics in a confronting but compelling way. The blossoming romance is told with such empathy and in severe contrast to the brutal violence elsewhere in the novel. Some readers may be put off by the subject matter, but I would encourage people to persevere. I absolutely loved Young Mungo and to enhance my experience of the novel, I read while listening to the audiobook narrated by Scottish actor Chris Reilly. 

Special thanks to my mum who gave me Young Mungo. I really enjoyed this story and these wonderfully written characters will stay with me for a very long time. 

Hell to Pay

I am a huge fan of crime novels set in small towns across Australia, quickly inhaling each new novel by Jane Harper, Chris Hammer, Sarah Bailey and others. But somehow I overlooked Garry Disher, an award-winning writer of several series of crime books including the Wyatt novels, the Challis and Destry novels and the Paul Hirschhausen series. A few weeks ago at the Sydney Writers Festival, I attended a session called 'Small Towns, Big Secrets' where Disher was one of the panelists talking about crime novels. Intrigued by his commentary, I started the Hirschhausen series.

Bitter Wash Road (2013) is set in South Australia in the fictional town of Tiverton. Paul Hirschhausen has been assigned to man the single-officer police station in the town. 'Hirsch' was previously based in Adelaide as a detective, but has been demoted on account of his role as a whistleblower against corrupt colleagues. As such he is known as a rat, and his fellow officers want little to do with him. When a pistol cartridge shows up in his mailbox, he knows his reputation has followed him and he is not wanted in this town.

Hirsch's boss is Sergeant Klopp, based at Redruth, some 40km away. Klopp has no time for cops who turn on cops, and turns a blind eye to the criminal actions of his own officers Nicholson and Andrewartha. Hirsch is on high alert whenever he interacts with these officers.

When the body of a sixteen year old girl is found on the side of the road, Hirsch sets out to investigate what happened, not convinced it was a simple hit-and-run. He soon finds obstacles thrown in his path by everyone around him. He is warned off pursuing the matter, but Hirsch persists and soon there are other deaths to investigate which at first appear unlinked but may lead to something more sinister happening in Tiverton and the surrounding area. 

Hirsch is an interesting character - he's a decent cop, with a strong ethical core and a desire to do well in his job. He gets called out on random jobs in this small town - when gunshots are reported on Bitter Wash Road, for drunk and disorderly conduct, for shoplifting and the like. The colourful locals are well drawn too, painting a picture of a hard life in this desolate place. 

I really enjoyed this novel. I found Disher's writing style to be intelligent and intriguing. He is concise, yet descriptive, giving the reader a really strong sense of place with the way he depicted the landscape and environment.  Disher is an excellent writer, moving the story along by creating tension and pace. 

I am so pleased to have discovered him and delighted to know that he has dozens of novels to discover. I look forward to reading the next two books in the Hirsch series - Peace (2019) and Consolation (2020) - but I am also keen to read The Way It Is Now (2021) Disher's latest standalone novel.

Note: When Bitter Wash Road was published in America in 2014, it was published as Hell to Pay.

A Beautiful Mind

Working my way through the 2022 Women's Prize shortlist, I spent a wonderful day reading Meg Mason's novel Sorrow and Bliss (2020). 

Shortly after her 40th birthday, Martha and her husband Patrick separate. Now alone, Martha reflects on her life trying to figure out what happened. Patrick has been part of her family for as long as she can remember, since attending her aunt's annual Christmas lunches while visiting from boarding school. She cannot imagine life without him. 

With her sister Ingrid, Martha grew up in an eccentric family of creatives. Her mother repurposes found objects into sculpture while her father is a poet who has never been able to capitalise on his early success. Their mother is mercurial and her volatile personality keeps her family at a distance. Likewise, Martha has suffered from a debilitating depression since childhood. She has regular crashes into a darkness which take a long time to recover from. This unnamed mental illness also impacts Martha's feelings about motherhood and causes her to sabotage the good things in her life. 

This is a character-driven story about grappling with mental illness and how it impacts families and friends. Despite the subject matter, I found this novel to be intelligent, witty and in parts laugh-out-loud funny. An unreliable narrator, Martha's first person account is razor-sharp, as she shares her dark thoughts, the mundane aspects of life and clever asides. 

I especially loved the relationship between the two sisters - the way they communicate in emojis, help each other at their worst moments, and have an unspoken shared history. Mason also depicts the broader family with clarity and empathy, with wonderful characters like Aunt Winsome, Martha's parents, the cousins, and the devoted Patrick.  

New Zealander Meg Mason is the author of Say it Again in a Nice Voice and You Be Mother. She now lives in Sydney.  

Sydney Writers' Festival 2022 - Day Three

Joined by my festival friend, we saw three sessions on Sunday 22 May 2022. This was the day after the federal election, and while the full results were still being tallied, it was clear that the Morrison government had lost and that there would be a new Labor government. The whole day felt more hopeful and the election was clearly on the minds of many speakers as we looked forward to a new government and a kinder, gentler nation.

Where Angels Fear To Tread

This session was about defamation and how defamation complaints can be used to censor and silence journalists. I thought this would be an interesting panel given the high profile defamation cases underway here (Ben Roberts-Smith) and overseas (Johnny Depp/Amber Heard) and the recent discontinuation of the Craig McLaughlin case. 

Erik Jensen, founding editor of The Saturday Paper, chaired this panel. Hannah Marshall, a partner at Marque Lawyers, was on hand to explain the legalities of defamation and the reforms needed to support public interest journalism. Investigative journalists Kate McClymont (SMH), best known for uncovering high profile scandals like Eddie Obeid, and Chris Masters (Four Corners) who is one of the journalists being sued by Ben Roberts-Smith, were able to give firsthand accounts of being defendants in defamation cases. 

While they could not speak about current cases, they were able to speak about past cases. McClymont spoke about Obeid, McLaughlin and other cases she has been involved in. McClymont and Masters spoke about the personal toll defamation actions take on journalists and their families. Masters exposed the corruption in the Queensland police force in a 1987 Four Corners program which lead to the Fitzgerald Inquiry on corruption in Joh Bjelke-Peterson's government. This also lead to a decade long defamation case against Masters and the ABC, which they eventually won but was exhausting for all involved.

Jensen said that as an editor, the defamation laws stand between the public and the truth. The panel spoke about the chilling effect that defamation actions can have on journalists and how they have had to learn how to do things differently to protect sources (e.g. using coding in their notes), and the importance of getting multiple on-the-record sources to confirm before publication. McClymont said that you need to approach stories as though you need to prove them in a criminal court. The costs of defamation can be crippling, with Masters arguing that the costs are leverage and that 'economic principles outweigh editorial principles'.

Marshall spoke about some of the reforms proposed to defamation law in an effort to be more balanced. She said that in Australia the balance is in the favour of the plaintiff, making it difficult and costly to defend a case. Often times the cases are brought about by a 'whiff of criticism' but the case itself can do more harm to the plaintiff's reputation than the original story which gave rise to the complaint.

Overall, a great session with lots of thought-provoking discussion. 

Radical Inclusive Rebellious

We bought rush tickets to see this fantastic session. Gamillaroi/Torres Strait Islander actor and writer Nakkiah Lui brought together a panel to showcase authors she is publishing under her new imprint Joan Press. Joan is named after Lui's grandmother, a storyteller and mentor, who was the 'person who taught me not to be invisible'. As such, Joan Press has been created to publish voices who are often excluded from storytelling. Lui introduced two authors who read from their works. 

Maddie Godfrey is a poet who has performed at the Sydney Opera House, the Royal Albert Hall and St Paul's Cathedral. Their debut poetry collection is How To Be Held (2018) and Joan will publish the forthcoming Dress Rehearsal. Maddie read a number of poems, including one titled 'Harry Styles is Interviewed on a Beach, and the Horizon Aligns with his Sighs'.  [After the session my festival friend and I were approached by an elderly man who wanted to know who Harry Styles was - we did our best to explain.]

Cartoonist and graphic artist Sarah Firth shared her debut work - a collection of graphic essays Eventually Everything Connects, which will be published by Joan. As she read an except called 'Joie de Vivre' aloud, we were able to see the Joie de Vivre illustrations on her website. Firth was delighted to be picked up by Joan, as other publishers rejected the book as it could not be easily categorised.

Sessions like these are fantastic for introducing new authors. I am so pleased we attended.

I was wrong

Our last session for the festival was about changing your mind and admitting your mistakes, especially in a culture which discourages confessing errors. Four speakers were invited to share where they were wrong about something and what they had learned.

Writer and performer Paul McDermott spoke first. He was absolutely hilarious and admitted that he has wasted much of the past three years writing songs about how much he hates Scott Morrison. He sang verses from a number of his songs, including 'Scomo no homo' to the laughter of all present. While humorous, his presentation reminded us of all the missed opportunities and failures of the previous government.

Professor Marcia Langton spoke next. Langton is widely respected for her work on Indigenous issues, having been involved in many government policy reforms over decades of activism. Her presentation was heartbreaking as she listed all of the enquiries and investigations she had been part of that she thought would lead to change. For example, she genuinely believed that the 1980s Royal Commission Into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody would lead to substantive change, but she was wrong as few recommendations were enacted. She said the same of the Stolen Generations reports, juvenile justice inquiry and many more. Langton was also involved in the Uluru Statement from the Heart. She concluded with her hope that new Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will adopt this statement and that she will not be wrong. 

Author, activist and feminist, Jane Caro, delivered an impromptu speech on various times she was wrong. Warm and witty, Caro spoke about the need to reflect and change your mind. Caro was followed by David Marr, one of my favourite thinkers and writers. Marr argued that  'a frank admission of error is an important thing' and spoke about how the press and the public are so quick to see a change of mind as weakness. He spoke about the Morrison government and their targeting of marginalised people (e.g. trans youth). He also spoke about some of the mistakes he had made as a young journalist and what the errors taught him.

Well, that was the end of my time at this year's Sydney Writers' Festival. It was great to be back, attending events like this, after living like a hermit for the past two years. With COVID precautions in place, respected by most attendees, I was able to safely attend and feel relaxed in the space. I come home with many memories and a stack of books to read. Special thanks to my festival friend for being a great companion and choosing such good sessions.

Read more about my time at the Sydney Writers' Festival here:

• Day 1 - Includes Sean Kelly, Judith Brett, Jackie Huggins, Melissa Lucashenko, Sarah Krasnostein, Richard Fidler, Sisonke Msimang and Clare Wright
• Day 2 - Includes Barrie Cassidy, Jennifer Down, Hannah Kent, Garry Disher, Damon Galgut and Larissa Behrendt
• Day 3 - Includes Chris Masters, Kate McClymont, Nakkiah Lui, Marica Langton, Jane Caro and David Marr

Sydney Writers' Festival 2022 - Day Two

Joined by my festival friend, we saw four sessions on Saturday 21 May 2022

Barrie Cassidy and Friends: Election 2022

When this session was pitched, organisers had expected the federal election would have been held the week prior, so Barrie Cassidy and his panel of eminent journalists could dissect the outcome. As it happens, it was held on the morning of Election Day so the session was more speculative.

Cassidy was joined by Fran Kelly (ABC), Niki Savva (SMH) and Amy Remeikis (The Guardian) for an interesting discussion about the election, the leading candidates and the media.

They began with seminal moments in the campaign and spoke about Albanese forgetting the employment figures during week one, Morrison's crash tackle of a child on a soccer pitch, and the Catherine Deves retraction. I greatly admire Savva's analysis of Morrison's character and his poor performance as prime minister. 

Amy Remeikis, who is one of my favourite people on the planet, spoke about the rage she still feels at Morrison over his inability to understand the anger of women at his lack of empathy for Brittney Higgins, and his failure to engage with women's issues unless his wife explains them first. Remeikis spoke about the rise of the independents who have come to the fore due to the decade of inaction on climate change and Morrison's failure to govern.  

While much of the panel's focus was on the six week campaign, Cassidy brought them back to the fact that the election is not about the campaign but about the three years that preceded it. The panel was highly critical of the Morrison government's achievements in office. 

There was a lot of discussion about the role of the media in the campaign. Cassidy was scathing about the bias of Murdoch press. The panel talked about the gotcha questions, the debates and about the travelling press pack. There was a real sense of disappointment in the media coverage and a need for a post-mortem to unpack how the media can improve for future campaigns.  

It was excellent to see Barrie again (I miss him on Insiders!) and this panel was a great start to the day.

Jennifer Down and Hannah Kent

I am a huge fan of Australian author Hannah Kent. Her novels Burial Rights (2013), The Good People (2016) and most recently Devotion (2021) are such beautifully written stories. I admire the way she blends historical facts in her fiction to craft compelling narratives.

Kent was appearing in a few sessions at the Sydney Writers Festival, but I chose this one as she was appearing with Jennifer Down, author of Bodies of Light (2021) which was shortlisted for this year's Stella Prize.

Susan Wyndham asked these authors about the pressures of writing their third book (as so often the second book causes the most challenge). Both authors said that writing their current novels was very much like a debut. Kent described the process of writing Devotion and how it took so much longer than she expected as during the period between books two and three she became a parent. 

Down talked about the challenge of writing her novel when she works full-time, so she crams her research and writing of this book in her leisure time. Given the difficult subject matter of her novel, this meant spending her down-time in some dark places exploring the impact of trauma.

I found this session fascinating as they described the research they undertake to underpin their novels. Down explained her approach is very much like a magpie or bower bird, collecting random bits of material until she finds something that sends her on a path to follow. Similarly, Kent does extensive research. When she found a ship captain's firsthand account of travelling to Australia on the Zebra in 1838 she was inspired and ended up setting a third of her book on the voyage.

After the session I spoke to Hannah Kent while she signed my copy of Devotion. 

Small Towns, Big Secrets

We had a gap in our program so my festival friend and I bought rush tickets to attend this session, not knowing the authors. Dr Kate Evans (ABC) chaired the panel of Australian crime novelists including Garry Disher, Hayley Scrivenor and Dinuka McKenzie (who was a delightful last minute replacement for Aiofe Clifford). 

Dinuka McKenzie is the author of The Torrent (2022), her recently published debut. Her book is set in a fictional town in northern NSW which is inundated by a flood. A heavily pregnant detective, a few weeks shy of starting maternity leave, investigates the death of a young man.

Hayley Scrivenor is a debut novelist of the newly published Dirt Town (2022). Set in a fictional town in NSW, the story revolves around a girl who goes missing on the way home from school and a detective who seeks to find out what happened. 

Garry Disher is an established crime writer best known for his Wyatt series, the Challis and Destry novels, and the Hirschhausen series. He is a three time winner of the Ned Kelly award. His latest novel is The Way it is Now (2021) is about a burnt out cop who has to investigate a crime, which brings back past memories.

Dr Evans began by asking the writers what attracted them to set their stories in small towns. Each author had created a fictional town based on real places they were familiar with so they could infuse their stories with rich depictions of the landscape. Each author gave a description of their fictional town and told a bit about the story they had written.

Disher talked about how many crime novels are rooted to place. For example Ian Rankin's Rebus series is deeply Edinburgh and Michael Connelly's Bosch series is completely Los Angeles. Disher explained that in his novels, and those of many other Australian writers (including the panelists, Jane Harper, Chris Hammer, Sarah Bailey etc), feature investigators that are either outsiders or are people who have left the community and then returned, creating a tension with locals as they are seen as not belonging. 

This was an interesting session and it was lovely to be introduced to new authors. I really enjoy Australian crime novels and while I await the next Harper/Hammer/Bailey, I now have new titles to explore. [I am currently on holidays and have started reading Bitter Wash Road - the first in Disher's Hirschhausen series.] 

Limits of Imagination

Our last session for the day was on representation and creativity: Who has the right to tell certain stories? Sisonke Msimang chaired the panel which featured Aboriginal writer, filmmaker and lawyer Professor Larissa Behrendt (After Story), Chinese/American/Australian author Paige Clark (She is Haunted) and 2021 Booker Prize winner South African Damon Galgut (The Promise).

This was a fascinating discussion, at times uncomfortable, with panelists debating whether questions of the right of representation inhibit the creative process. Should authors only write what they know? If so, does that limit creativity?

Galgut spoke about how if he wrote a character of a different culture/gender/background to his, he should be judged on the quality of the portrayal and if it came across as inauthentic or implausible he should be critiqued, but he should not be barred from attempting to write about difference. Galgut talked about how every book you read gives you another version of the world. The audience roared with laughter when he said 'you can tell which of our politicians and leaders read books'.

Clark talked about how her collection of short stories feature characters that are like her, but said that ten years ago she may not have been able to write this as she would not have had the same opportunities.

Berhendt spoke about how for so long First Nations people have been denied a voice and have been written about by non-Aboriginal authors, portrayed as caricatures. She spoke about the current renaissance of First Nations authors and how important it has been for these authors to write their stories.

Sisonke Msimang asked really insightful questions and addressed head on the issue of white men's anxiety that diverse representation in literature makes less room for them. Msimang said, 'there might be some things to lose, but it doesn't have to be a loss.' Indeed there is far more to gain from diverse voices instead of cultural appropriation.

I really enjoyed this panel. It was challenging, thoughtful and considered. After hearing Larissa Behrendt speak about her novel After Story, I am really keen to read it. Following the session I spoke with Damon Galgut as he signed a copy of The Promise for me.

That's a wrap of Day Two of my SWF. Time to race home and watch the election results, before coming back for the final day tomorrow.

Books in my collection signed by authors today:

• Damon Galgut - The Promise
• Maxine Beneba Clarke - How Decent Folk Behave
• Hannah Kent - Devotion

Read more about my time at the Sydney Writers' Festival here:

• Day 1 - Includes Sean Kelly, Judith Brett, Jackie Huggins, Melissa Lucashenko, Sarah Krasnostein, Richard Fidler, Sisonke Msimang and Clare Wright
• Day 2 - Includes Barrie Cassidy, Jennifer Down, Hannah Kent, Garry Disher, Damon Galgut and Larissa Behrendt
• Day 3 - Includes Chris Masters, Kate McClymont, Nakkiah Lui, Marica Langton, Jane Caro and David Marr