Emma

Staff Review: Emma writes: It's hard to know what to make of JM Coetzee's new book, a philosophical fable set in an undefined location and time period. A man and a child arrive by boat to a new country, are given new names and a new language, and attempt to set up a new life in a bureaucratic labyrinth in this strange society. They are not family but the boy has lost his parents and the man is determined to find the boy's mother. I'm glad I read this book, and I will probably read it again, as I think it warrants close consideration. This would be a great book for bookclubs who like their fiction philosophical, serious and somewhat elusive. It will no doubt make excellent fodder for university reading lists with its many possible metaphorical interpretations and its themes of human experience, nationhood and alienation.

Staff Review: Emma writes: I haven't read Alice Pung's previous bestselling memoir, Unpolished Gem, so I can't compare the two, but as a stand-alone work Her Father's Daughter is simply brilliant. Told in the third person, the chapters look alternately at either Alice or her father's points of view - with her father's stories taking us into the dark history of Cambodia's killing fields, through an incredible narrative of survival and resilience, to his new life as a husband, father and business owner in Australia. Alice's story is about discovering her family's past through travel and listening to stories, about developing an identity away from her protective parents whilst remaining close to them, about being a student, and about the shock of becoming a successful author with her first book. Her Father's Daughter is a moving and powerful family story.

Staff Review: Emma writes: Miles Franklin award winner Kim Scott's accomplished new novel, That Deadman Dance, is set in the early days of colonisation on Australia's Western coast. In and around King George's Town, or what will become today's Albany, WA, a young Aboriginal boy, Bobby Wabalanginy witnesses changes in the landscape and in the relations in and between the Noongar people and the new white people who've come from the sea. The story also follows an ex-convict-come-good, two curious black boys who were raised essentially as white slaves, some older Aboriginal people, and whalers, who Bobby comes to work for. Scott weaves these various narratives with writing so poetic you'll want to linger on every sentence - making this book a slow but satisfying read. With its beautiful prose and well-researched and considered subject matter, this book is destined to become a classic in the Australian literary canon.

Staff Review: Emma writes: If you have seen Benjamin Law's writing in Frankie magazine, The Monthly or The Big Issue, you'll know he's one hell of a funny guy. Here Ben's witty anecdotes and longer stories about his dysfunctional but lovable family do not disappoint. You'll be giggling throughout, and in parts, laughing 'til it hurts. Highly recommended!

Staff Review: Emma writes: Love in the Years of Lunacy is about Pearl, a naive but feisty 18-year-old, who is in love with James, a black American GI. They are passionate saxophone players who fall in love over steamy jazz in wartime Sydney. However James is soon shipped off to New Guinea and Pearl can't stand life without him. Her journey is testament to her undying love for James and her reckless spirit. The book is cleverly structured, and thoroughly captivating - I read it in two sittings. This is a rich new Australian novel you shouldn't miss.

Staff Review: Emma writes: India Calling is an excellent snapshot of a country and its people. Giridharadas has obviously achieved an amazing amount of trust with the people he features in his book, getting great insight into the lives of a variety of Indian people, from a Bollywood actor turned municipal rat-catcher, to a young English teacher/life coach/entrepreneur, to a diversity of Indian families. Giridharadas is an American, a reporter for The New York Times, and the child of Indian emigrants who left for greener pastures. But much of the book suggests that there are now incredible opportunities opening up for middle class Indians in India that just weren't there for his parents' generation. The only critique I have of this book is that it is unbalanced in focusing more often on male stories than females – I would have at least liked an acknowledgement of why this is so. Nonetheless, this is a fascinating read.

Staff Review: Emma writes: Emma Donoghue's Room is the story of Jack, who has never known a world outside Room. Jack's mother has for years been held captive in what is essentially a soundproofed garden shed, giving birth and raising Jack in its confines. Does this sound like some kind of gruesome psychological thriller? Well, it couldn't be further from that. Instead, Room examines the intense bond between mother and child. Jack's voice is unique and affecting, both innocent and rich with insight. Jack's tiny world is turned upside-down - or more literally, expanded a million-fold - as he and his mother escape from Room. We experience the world through Jack's eyes, and feel an overwhelming sense of empathy for him. Room is a compelling and unique read, and was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize in 2010.

Staff Review: Emma writes: This strangely compelling book raises questions for the modern world, such as if Comic Sans can ever be taken seriously, and if using caps lock in emails is a sackable offence. An amazing and informative look at the how and why of font creation and selection, this book is sure to appeal to the serious font-studier as well as the merely curious.

Staff Review: Emma writes: An exciting new Australian novel about suburban masculinity, How it Feels charts the coming-of-age of Neil Cronk, his best mates Stuart and Gordon, and his high school sweetheart, Courtney. They've grown up in Sydney's Sutherland Shire, but things change for all of them when school finishes. Neil pursues his theatric dreams at uni in Bathurst, then further afield in London, while the rest stay behind in the Shire and live out various versions of young adulthood. This novel deals with themes that are by no means original - sex, drugs, suicide, love, loss, family. It has shades of Tsiolkas' Loaded and McGahan's Praise but as the title suggests, Cowell's novel contains a depth of feeling, told with such gusto and flair, that the book is truly one-of-a-kind. Neil Cronk is not always a likeable character. In his various stages of relationships and substance abuse he is indeed very dislikable... and yet, it is impossible not to feel empathy for him. How it Feels spans around a decade, and there are chunks of 'missing' time, hinted at by our narrator and the conversations he has. This is one of the book's main strengths: rather than be three times as long and not nearly as hard-hitting, we're given key scenes and stretches of Neil's life to contemplate, scenes where the main issues and characters recur. It's a beautiful literary technique to behold (okay, I know I'm gushing... but I really loved this book!). The end of this book is incredibly powerful - one that literally will take the wind out of your chest. Cowell is well-known for his Australian film, theatre and television career, but this book is sure to place him as one of our finest literary novelists as well.

Staff Review: Emma writes: Tinkers is a story finely woven with threads of family, loss, history, life, death and dying. Its complex strands span generations; the book is rich with meaning, leaving the reader with much to contemplate. This dreamy, wintery novel was the deserving recipient of last year's Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. Read it and the story will stay with you.

Staff Review: Emma writes: You'll quickly become attached to this fine Australian novel's bookworm protagonist, Charles Bucktin, his cricket-mad best mate Jeffrey Lu, and the namesake of the book, an Indigenous outcast named Jasper Jones. This award winning book has the perfect mix of intriguing plot and endearing characters, and is at once innocent and dark. A perfect and quintessential coming-of-age narrative, this is a book to read, to talk about, and to treasure.