Tag Archives: fiction

Ravenous Girls by Rebecca Burton

Posted by Kate W in Fiction and tagged with , , , , , , , , ,

I recently reviewed a memoir by Hadley Freeman, who had been diagnosed with anorexia as a teenager, so it was interesting to read a fictional account of the illness, this time from the perspective of a family member.

Ravenous Girls by Rebecca Burton tells the story of 14-year-old Frankie, who is trying to understand her older sister Justine’s admission to hospital with anorexia. Justine, a talented pianist, was about to begin studying music at university when anorexia takes over her life. Continue reading →

The Anniversary by Stephanie Bishop

Posted by Kate W in Fiction and tagged with , , , , , , , , ,

In The Anniversary by Stephanie Bishop, author J.B. Blackwood, takes her husband, Patrick, a famous film director, on a cruise to celebrate their anniversary. J.B. is nursing a secret – she has won a yet-to-be-announced major literary prize. A storm hits, and Patrick falls from the ship. That might sound overly dramatic, but actually, this book is a moral thriller, and the story unfolds from that point onward (and there’s a lot more to it).

In a story… the feeling of not knowing what happens next is often a thing of pleasure: the cornerstone of our delight… But the same feeling of not-knowing, as it happens in one’s real life, is rarely so pleasurable… Continue reading →

The Collected Regrets of Clover by Mikki Brammer

Posted by Kate W in Fiction and tagged with , , , , , , , , ,

Rom-coms/ meet-cutes aren’t my usual thing but I made an exception for Mikki Brammer’s The Collected Regrets of Clover because the main character, Clover, is a death doula – and grief-lit is my thing.

It’s a simple story – Clover, an introverted and socially-anxious woman, lives a life structured around her work, her pets, and visiting death cafes in New York City. Flashbacks provide context for her chosen profession – Clover’s parents died when she was a child, and she moved to the city to live with her grandfather. Continue reading →

Reading the Stella Prize shortlist – Body Friend by Katherine Brabon

Posted by Kate W in Fiction and tagged with , , , , , , , , ,

I’m loathe to focus on a particular aspect of Katherine Brabon’s novel, Body Friend, for fear of giving away an important aspect of the story (which is best revealed to readers in their own time). The particular aspect of the story that I won’t comment on is the central character’s two new friends, Frida and Sylvia, both of whom she meets while recovering from major surgery (Frida at the hydrotherapy pool and Sylvia in the park). Continue reading →

Stella Prize 2024 Shortlist

Posted by Kate W in Fiction, Non-fiction, Stuff and Nonsense and tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Argh! I didn’t get a chance to make my predictions before the 2024 Stella Prize shortlist was announced this morning. I’ve been in the Tasmanian wilderness and happily out of range for five days (more on that later). Continue reading →

Reading the Stella Prize longlist – Hospital by Sanya Rushdi

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I’m keeping my 2024 Stella Prize reviews brief, otherwise I simply won’t get through them before the shortlist is announced on April 4.

I read Hospital by Sanya Rushdi in one afternoon. It’s a novella (124pp), and although the cover clearly states that it’s fiction, the main character has the same name as the author, and it’s written in the first person… so… autofiction? I don’t want to assume but I have read that it’s based on true events. And that’s important to note because the story focuses on Sanya’s third admission into a psychiatric ward. Continue reading →

The Librarianist by Patrick deWitt

Posted by Kate W in Fiction and tagged with , , , , , ,

I think you’re either a fan of Patrick deWitt’s style of humour or you’re absolutely not. It could be described as ‘quirky’ but I loathe that word, so instead I’ll go with bizarro. Anyway, his latest novel, The Librarianist, is classic deWitt.

Bob Comet is a retired librarian living in Portland, Oregon and passing his days surrounded by books and small comforts.

When the work was over there was the maintenance of his home and person and of course his reading, which was a living thing, always moving, eluding, growing, and he knew it could not end, that it was never meant to end. Continue reading →