I’m in Australia for the month of July and had hoped to hear a favorite Aussie author or two read from new works while here. Couldn’t schedule any with my travels, though, so instead I’m reading a couple of novels by Tim Winton and Kate Grenville. Winton’s Eyrie is a dark story set on the west coast near Perth, about two people trying to relate to each other despite distrust and disillusionment, a theme that also plays out in Grenville’s The Idea of Perfection, which I read several years ago. My favorite Winton novels are The Riders and Dirt Music. I highly recommend them.
I’m currently reading Grenville’s The Secret River, about a young English bargeman who came to the eastern coast of Australia in 1806 after being convicted of petty theft. I’m planning to see some of the museums here that highlight the history of Australia, and also plan a trip out of Sydney by ferry to Cockatoo island, which housed many convicts in the distant past.