Culture
Books
‘Misogynistic massacre’: Sydney Writers’ Festival closing address dedicated to Bondi Junction victims
A feminist author used her closing address to call out “himpathy”, where men who commit violence receive “disproportionate and undue sympathy”.
- by Helen Pitt
Latest
This clever novel brings cosy crime to Australia
The regional town of Welcome would seem an unlikely location for a murder. Aoife Clifford’s new book is a nicely judged crime caper.
- by Sue Turnbull
Opinion
Racism
I’m not cancelling my favourite books, despite my dark skin troubling their authors
I can’t cancel the stories of my childhood. Great stories can survive the sins of their writers.
- by Satara Uthayakumaran
A clever novel that isn’t afraid to poke fun at itself
Kaveh Akbar’s book Martyr! is a delight because it manages to embrace seriousness and irreverence, darkness and light.
- by Giselle Au-Nhien Nguyen
This Australian psychological thriller examines death penalty with a horrific twist
Our reviewers cast their eyes over recent fiction and non-fiction releases, including an engaging account of the seven Cleopatras and Geoffrey Robertson’s crisply argued case for prosecuting Putin.
- by Cameron Woodhead and Steven Carroll
This retelling of Huckleberry Finn is a masterful satire of race
Percival Everett tells the story of Mark Twain’s classic from the point of view of Jim, the runaway slave who befriends Huck.
- by Declan Fry
Exclusive
Literature
The day I shopped for hair products with Booker Prize winner Paul Lynch
Booker Prize winner 2023 Paul Lynch is in Australia to talk about his award-winning book Prophet Song.
- by Helen Pitt
This memoir on grief is a treasure chest of honesty and raw humanity
When her partner of 25 years died, Nova Weetman found the necessity of work and her two children kept her connected to reality.
- by Michael McGirr
These are the 10 events not to miss at Sydney Writers’ Festival
This year’s literary feast offers a tantalising menu for lovers of all sorts of writing.
- by Jason Steger
Determined, tone-deaf and glib: Rebel Wilson tells her own story
Wilson is a talented actor, but she can’t replicate that talent in her memoir.
- by Stephen Brook
Opinion
WordPlay
Australia leads the world in the use of this oxymoronic term
During this year’s budget there was one recurrent word association that appeared more than others.
- by David Astle