Griffith Review 30: The Annual Fiction Edition

Edited by Julianne Schultz

Three pieces stood out for me from this collection.

First: “The Geometry Lesson” by Jewelene Barrile — a beautifully balanced and finely wrought story about the love between a father and daughter, the triangular nature of single-child families and how the erosion of a marriage can be acutely observed by a child.

Second: “Cedric Abroad” by Peter Temple — a humorously-rendered tale of an English man who inherits a property in the Australian outback. From the moment Cedric Marchant seats himself on the plane to come to Australia, he meets some of the nation’s bizarre people and begins to realise how integrally his life will change.

Third: “Study for the Weather Station” by Luke Davies — almost a meditation, this evocative and moving reflection is about a couple’s time spent in an apartment perched on a cliff in North Bondi.

These three standout pieces make the cover price more than reasonable. But there are also offerings from Marion Halligan, Janette Turner Hospital, Nick Earls and others, which promise enticing summer reading.

Marjorie Lewis-Jones