Synopsis
'A strange and joyous marvel' Richard Flanagan
'Delightful... Enchanting' Guardian
'Spectacular' Culturefly
A young man named Levi McAllister decides to build a coffin for his sister, Charlotte - who promptly runs for her life. A water rat swims upriver in quest of the cloud god. A fisherman named Karl hunts for tuna in partnership with a seal. And a father takes form from fire.
The answers to these riddles are to be found in this tale of grief and love and the bonds of family, tracing a journey across the southern island that takes us full circle.
SHORTLISTED FOR THE READINGS PRIZE FOR NEW AUSTRALIAN FICTION
Publisher information
- Publisher: Atlantic Books
- ISBN: 9781786496294
- Number of pages: 240
- Dimensions: 198 x 128 x 16 mm
- Languages: English
Customer Reviews
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Weird, wonderful and refreshingly different.
*** Rating: 4.5/5 ***
There’s something inexplicably grounding about this mystical marvel and its humble wisdom.
With its original imaginings of land an... READ MORE
Loved it!
I really loved this book. It had a very interesting view of the world, its language almost poetic. Its very experimental, trying out different styles of na... READ MORE
Magical realism at it's most beautiful.
This book is jam packed with magical realism. The imagery is beautiful, it is constantly surprising, and I couldn't get enough.
There are women who rise f... READ MORE
Flaming Marvelous
If you are looking for something that will take you away from the real world and plunge you into something mythical with meaning, then look no further. I a... READ MORE
Remarkable and haunting
This is an odd and rather challenging read but it is such a wonderful and imaginatively written book that it is well worth sticking with.
This strange and ... READ MORE
Good
The front cover definitely made me want to open it up and start reading straight away. The plot is a very good and interesting story. The character descrip... READ MORE
Subtle, and startling
I found ‘Flames’ to both allow the imagination to craft what it sees and feels from the writing, and manipulate it in a haunting but delicate manner. The c... READ MORE
Mythical Tasmanian Adventure
Following various characters on a quest to find the root of what makes them human. The characters explore the rich Tasmanian landscape, finding friendships... READ MORE
Poetic But Complicated
Personally, I felt as though even though it was beautifully written in such a poetic way, the plot was over complicated for such a short book and genuinely... READ MORE
The Old Gods
3.5 Stars
I think the kindest way to describe this short tale is quirky; I could have said pretentious but that feels overly harsh and is very much down t... READ MORE