Tommy Orange’s debut novel “There There” tells the story of twelve different characters that all struggle in some form or another with their lineage, heritage, and knowing who they are. Almost all of the main characters are Indigenous, and the question of what being an Indigenous person means to them all is frequently questioned throughout... Continue Reading →
A mother’s final request and three sisters with seemingly nothing in common - a tried and true premise for a plotline. Thankfully, "The Unlikely Adventures of the Shergill Sisters" takes a standard theme and makes it its own in this 2019 release by Balli Kaur Jaswal. Following the death of their mother, sisters Rajni, Jezmeen,... Continue Reading →
I must admit to being attracted by the unusual title but it’s the story itself that is extraordinary. With subtle allusions to King Lear throughout the book, the story begins as a father leaves his entire estate to Helen, his youngest daughter, while leaving Edith his struggling elder daughter with nothing. The two sisters are... Continue Reading →
Tolstoy once said “Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way” and this would accurately describe the background behind the novel, The Vacationers. The Post family, Jim and wife Franny, as well as teen daughter Sylvia are heading to Mallorca for a two week holiday, which acts on... Continue Reading →
The recent release of the trailer to the movie, “Me before You”, reminded me of how much I loved the book on which the film is based. The story begins with Louisa Clark, having just lost her waitressing job. Times have not been good for the Clark family and her parents depend on the extra... Continue Reading →
'I'll tell you what happened because it will be a good way to introduce my brother. His name's Simon. I think you're going to like him. I really do. But in a couple of pages he'll be dead. And he was never the same after that.' Nathan Filer’s Costa prize-winning first novel is clever, engaging... Continue Reading →
Evie Wyld is an author to watch. At the age of 34, she has two novels under her belt, and a string of awards (including the Miles Franklin) trailing along behind her. Born in England, she also spent part of her childhood on her grandparents’ sugar farm in New South Wales. It is the familiarity... Continue Reading →
The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt, is the author’s third book and her first new book in eleven years. Selected as one of the ten best books of 2013 by the editors of the New York Times Book Review, and as the 2013 Best Book of the Year by Amazon, it won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction... Continue Reading →
While a favourite in Britain, it was only last year with the publication of "Me Before You" that author Jojo Moyes became a recognized name on this side of the Atlantic. "Me Before You", is the story of a caregiver, Lou, with nothing but a jest for life and her patient, Will, a paraplegic with... Continue Reading →
Question 1: What essential tool is required to bring a Union Pacific freight train, with a potential weight of 1.2 million pounds to an unplanned and unexplained, grinding halt? Answer: a single red Sharpie of course. Question 2: How do you convince the Under-Secretary of Illustration and Design at the Smithsonian Institute that you are... Continue Reading →
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