Kirjahaku

A young man known as "the Australian" journeys between New York and Melbourne on a quest of self-discovery in this poignant exploration of loneliness, love, and fatherhood In her humorous and emotionally resonant debut, Emma Smith-Stevens follows the exploits and evolution of a young man––known only as “the Australian”––over the course of a dozen years, from his time posing for tourist photos as Superman to his life in New York, chasing fame and fortune. Married to a woman he barely knows and struggling to forge a relationship with his son, the Australian travels between the US and Melbourne, seeking to reconnect with his deceased parents through his father’s Australian Outdoor Geographic magazines and the Dreaming Tracks, sacred landmarks his mother longed to explore.Through this quest for self-discovery, the Australian becomes both more and less enigma: “the idea of this guy you could find in any city, a hostel anywhere in the world, smiling, suntanned, hauling a backpack.” A poignant and at times satirical meditation on masculinity, fatherhood, isolation, New York City, fame, and loss, The Australian examines the human tendency to fall in love with the idea of another person and the importance of knowing one’s essential nature.

From the author of The Australian comes an award-winning collection of short stories that fearlessly explore desire, power, obsession, and our secret selves. In Greyhounds, a college student unexpectedly finds empowerment through her submissive role in bondage and sadomasochism, a pious widow seeks vengeance on her hoarding neighbor, two young sisters become locked in a dangerous game that may change their lives forever, and a woman's reticence transforms into devotion when she learns of her boyfriend's compulsion to kill animals. Impassioned, daring, and steeled with clear-eyed empathy, Smith-Stevens' stories expose what drives us, what haunts us, and what tears us apart.