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modesty prevents them

Being such shy, retiring types, my co-editors have been all coy about their achievements. Lacking inhibitions of that kind, I note that Rjurik will soon publish a book of his short stories in Britain, while Kalinda‘s novel The Danger Game is rapidly taking shape. Here’s some of the encomiums it has attracted:

‘Kalinda Ashton’s The Danger Game is an unflinching examination of familial and communal bonds. It is a masterful, poignant, powerful and true. Ashton¹s is a remarkable voice and this is a wonderful novel.’ ­
Christos Tsiolkas

‘The Danger Game is an exquisitely written portrait of a disintegrating family in a turbulent era.’  ­ Amanda Lohrey

‘Ashton’s The Danger Game announces a new and vital voice in  Australian literature. The writing hits every note ­ on every page.’ Tony Birch

‘Kalinda Ashton loves her damaged characters, and makes us love them too. With forgiveness, an enormous sensibility for suffering, and a wry, forensic eye, she explores the injuries that lie inside their souls. This subtle and engrossing debut novel combines Ashton¹s exquisite feel for language with precise observation of suburban lives. Lonely Jeremy, survivor Alice and risk-taking Louise are people we know from life; discovering their secrets and stories makes The Danger Game a wise, disquieting, and memorable read.’ ­ Kate Holden

‘A brilliant novel about a damaged family, The Danger Game breaks your
heart and promises to put it back together again. In Jeremy, Ashton has created a character whose demise leaves you stunned and wishing there was another way.  He will stay with me.’ ­ Ian Syson

I think it’s pretty good, too.

Overland is a not-for-profit magazine with a proud history of supporting writers, and publishing ideas and voices often excluded from other places.

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Jeff Sparrow is a Walkley Award-winning writer, broadcaster and former editor of Overland.

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Comments

  1. Modesty should be stabbed to death. I heard Kalinda read from The Danger Game at the Young Writers Festival last year, it was brilliant. Rjurik? Tell us more.

  2. I’m just currently discussing it with Postscripts publishing (http://store.pspublishing.co.uk/acatalog/postscripts_magazine.html). It will part of their Showcase series and will be a short collection. Theoretically it could fall through at this stage but that’s the plan anyway. Most likely the stories will be:

    The Cinema of Coming Attractions
    Int. Morgue. Night
    The Passing of the Minotaurs
    Twilight in Caeli-Amur
    Lost in the Library of Forgotten Books
    Lovers in Caeli-Amur

  3. Certainly, something to talk about!! and glad you posted it – I met Rrujik a while back and had forgotten his name and you’ve jogged my memory. Kalinda’s book sounds also like something I should watch out for.
    thanks, Jeff.

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