Don’t judge a book by its cover? Pfft! When the names of luminaries like Josephine Rowe, Alice Bishop, and Behrouz Boochani grace the jacket of New Australian Fiction 2024, it’s like finding a portal to a parallel universe right there on your bookshelf. Step through, but – like the koalas in Tracey Lien’s ‘Goodbye, Blinky Bill’ – don’t expect to return … at least not unchanged.
This sixth annual short fiction smorgasbord from Kill Your Darlings – edited by Suzy Garcia – is as eerily prescient as it is deeply satisfying. It’s a collection that presents readers with diverse lives, alternative ways of living and startling insights. It’s the sort of stuff you wish you could un-know, but can’t quite bring yourself to forget, at least not if you have a shred of social conscience.
From the first page, this anthology sinks its teeth into the reader’s psyche, refusing to let go. Each story is a layered narrative, slowly peeling back the onion of human nature to reveal our less-than-perfect core. Care, it seems, has long since absconded from many of these characters’ lives, leaving behind a residue of despair that’s palpable and haunting.
The environmental nightmares depicted hold up a cracked mirror to our present, reflecting a distorted tomorrow that’s uncomfortably familiar, probably because we’re actively constructing it. In Lee Hana’s ‘Bushfire’, we witness the harrowing spectacle of a man’s last stand against his community’s leaders, where desperation and resilience intertwine.
The stories beseech us to look – and act – before our planet’s epic tale ends up on the metaphorical cutting room floor. Landscapes and lives are left in tatters, all victims of humanity’s ongoing crusade against common sense … and this isn’t even the US. The collection spans from modern suburban ennui to post-apocalyptic wastelands, touching on quietly profound domestic moments and the complex realities of migrant experiences.
Ceridwen Dovey’s ‘Rocklands Road’ delves into the rich tapestry of family heritage, where the simple act of crafting meat and cabbage dumplings becomes a ritual of cultural transmission and love. Aisling Smith’s ‘Strangler Fig’ offers a nuanced exploration of intergenerational dynamics, where familial bonds are tested and strengthened. Paige Clark’s ‘It’s Possible’ transforms a routine playground visit into a microcosm of social interaction and an insight into modern parenting.
Meanwhile, Erin Gough’s ‘Dinner Scene’ serves up a caustic critique of privilege, where polite conversation barely masks the undercurrent of class tension and hypocrisy. Then there’s a detour past the power and pitfalls of technology and social media – as seen in Dominic Amerena’s ‘A Dog’s Life’, which lays bare the Faustian bargain of internet fame in all its fleeting, soul-crushing glory. Kathryn Gledhill-Tucker’s ‘The Station’ is an exploration of digital-age activism, illustrating how the democratisation of information can be wielded as a formidable weapon in the fight for truth and justice.
The “tedious task of survival” – as Daley Rangi so succinctly puts it in ‘Black Sand’ – emerges as a unifying thread. It’s a theme that resonates all too well in our current climate of perpetual crisis.
New Australian Fiction 2024 is not for the faint of heart, and the wilfully ignorant will hate it (assuming that by some miracle they choose to consume it). It’s a literary defibrillator, shocking us out of our complacency. If you’re in the mood for some light beach reading, I’d suggest the new release from Christian White. But if you’re prepared to have your comfort zone bulldozed by a wrecking ball made up of words, step right up.
Read: Book review: Mean Streak, Rick Morton
In short, it’s brilliant and unnerving. Just don’t blame me if you find yourself stockpiling canned goods and solar panels after reading, all the while questioning every life choice you’ve ever made and reassessing your relationships. This anthology doesn’t prepare you for a dystopian future; it just quietly slides an existential crisis across the table. Consider yourself warned – and intellectually armed.
New Australian Fiction 2024, Edited by Suzy Garcia
Publisher: Kill Your Darlings
ISBN: 9780645493344
Format: Paperback
Publication date:1 September 2024
RRP: $29.99
