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Review of Elizabeth Strout’s Anything Is Possible

I’ve always admired Elizabeth Strout’s writing. Olive Kitteridge was a huge influence on me as a writer and I thought it was a career defining book for her until she produced Anything Is Possible. I tried to sum up my thoughts about this book for The Australian, you can read my review here.

Essay on Bernhard Schlink’s The Woman on the Stairs

I’ve always admired Bernhard Schlink’s fiction, particularly his short stories published in his 2000 collection Flights of Love. I think it’s the preoccupation with guilt and culpability that interests me so much. Although Schlink is more concerned with the peculiar German experience, they are emotions that plague us all to a certain extent. Here‘s me onContinue reading “Essay on Bernhard Schlink’s The Woman on the Stairs”

Where the Light Falls – Nominated for the Christina Stead Prize for Fiction in the NSW Premier’s Awards

I’m thrilled that my novel has been shortlisted for the Christina Stead Prize for Fiction in the NSW Premier’s Literary Awards. You can also vote for it or any of the other excellent shortlisted books in the NSW People’s Choice Award, here. NSW Premier’s Literary Awards, Judges’ comments: ‘Where the Light Falls is brimming with virtuosoContinue reading “Where the Light Falls – Nominated for the Christina Stead Prize for Fiction in the NSW Premier’s Awards”

Michael Sala’s The Restorer

Here is a link to my review of Michael Sala’s magnificent novel The Restorer, published in The Australian.

Review of Claire-Louise Bennett’s Pond

I reviewed Claire-Louise Bennett’s unusual and excellent novella Pond for the Fairfax Papers. The review can be read here.

Review of Tara June Winch’s After the Carnage

Here‘s my review of After the Carnage, the new collection of stories by the uniquely talented Tara June Winch for the Fairfax papers.

Review of Zoe Morrison’s Music & Freedom

I reviewed Zoe Morrison’s novel Music and Freedom for the Weekend Australian here, which I found to be a very compelling debut. I loved the way Morrison showed how a patriarchal society can tacitly condone violence against women and also the way art and love can ultimately triumph.

Review of Anna Spargo-Ryan’s The Paper House

I reviewed Anna Spargo-Ryan’s The Paper House for The Age, which you can read here. I was really impressed by the way Spargo-Ryan used elements of magic realism to examine grief and mental illness in this poetic and captivating debut.

Where the Light Falls

But Where the Light Falls here. Shortlisted for the 2017 Christina Stead Prize for Fiction in the NSW Premier’s Awards NSW Premier’s Literary Awards, Judges’ comments: ‘Where the Light Falls is brimming with virtuoso depictions…This compelling narrative takes an honest and intimate look at grief and memory. Beautifully written, with astute observations, this novel takesContinue reading “Where the Light Falls”

Review of Julia Leigh’s Avalanche

I’ve long admired Julia Leigh’s novels (as well as her film Sleeping Beauty), so it was a great pleasure to be able to review her memoir Avalanche for the Sydney Morning Herald here. It’s a stunning, intensely personal account of her experience with IVF and the writing is very different to her novels, which IContinue reading “Review of Julia Leigh’s Avalanche”