There is something deep in the shared global psyche that draws us to stories of prodigies, particularly those who have dragged themselves up out of obscurity. Amazon recently released the Indian film Shakuntala Devi based on the true story of a women who came from poverty to become a world renowned “human calculator”. The Queen’s…
What eventually anchors the travellers of the world, or returns the travellers to their origins, is family. Kokomo is an assured debut novel that has much to say about how a chance connection can alter a person forever in ways that may not ever be noticed by anyone else. Mina’s life is just about to…
It is timely, of course, reading a novel about an airborne illness that necessitates changes in human behaviours in order to reduce its deadly impact upon a population. The Pull of the Stars is set over a three day period, sharply focused on one woman’s battle to keep her head about water as she cares…
Second novels are tricky beasts loaded with expectations, particularly when they come on the heels of recent stellar debuts. Australian author Christian White has written another confidently executed work of family drama and generational intrigue that will take up a just a few hours of your life, likely spent dedicated to polishing The Wife and…
