ANZ LitLovers LitBlog

I am keen to read a couple of books due for release over the next couple of months but, feeling somewhat guilty over my tardiness in producing a review for the Australian Women Writers Challenge, I’m reviewing here a short story collection (my favourite fodder) published last year.

Michelle Cahill’s poetic roots shine through in this startling collection of stories: each an homage to a literary figure, from the poet Fernando Pessoa to JM Coetzee. Many of the characters are familiar but they may not all be known to every reader and yet it doesn’t totally govern the readability of the collection. Even if some of the allusions pass you by (I’m sure I missed plenty of subtle references and intertextualities), it doesn’t affect the next story.

For review purposes, I sought some clarification by reading the author’s note on the publisher’s website but phrases such as “I wanted to cultivate…