novels have an almost relentless thematic
consistency and a strikingly similar darkness
of vision.
Harrower’s scalpel-sharp writing is electrifying in
form, content and observation, but also capable of
creating an atmosphere, in the reader, of acute horror;
an almost fight or flight response. As Fiona McGregor
in her foreword to the re-published edition of The
Long Prospect notes, “I keep laughing and cringing.”
When you close the cover of a Harrower novel,
you marvel at her ability to see us: the airless worlds
we create, our pre-occupations and vanities, our
infinite games and cruelties, and our endless
willingness to abase and be abased. That Harrower is
now being recognised as a giant of our literary canon,
at last, and so late, is like the kind of cruel plot twist
that often features in one of her own stories.
Read more about Elizabeth Harrower and her
novels at:
www.textpublishing.com.au/authors/
elizabethharrower
Elizabeth Harrower's novel In Certain Circles was
shortlisted for the Prime Minister's Literary
Awards 2015.
Rebecca Lim's novel The Astrologer's Daughter
was also shortlisted for the Prime Minister's
Literary Awards 2015 for Young Adult fiction.
www.textpublishing.com.au/authors/rebeccalim