The Swarm (Andy Kissane, Puncher & Wattmann)

The characters who inhabit Andy Kissane’s engaging short stories are recognisably Australian and contemporary, as are the situations they find themselves in. A musician rediscovers music after a bereavement in ‘In My Arms’; a couple hope a child will bring them reconciliation in ‘When the Television Died’; and a friend’s illness delivers the possibility of redemption for an out-of-work actor (‘Old Friends’). They are looking to connect with each other or are seeking greater sense out of their largely ordinary lives. Kissane has the ability to draw you into the story, making you concerned to find out what happens and where his characters are going. He also has an eye for the details that convey authenticity. This is quality storytelling without grand literary pretentions: as the narrator of ‘Old Friends’ observes—‘contemporary drama rarely deals in grand gestures or flamboyant spectacle’. Nonetheless, The Swarm is absorbing entertainment. Kissane’s first novel, Under the Same Sun, was published by Hodder back in 2000 and since then he has built a reputation as a poet (his collection Out to Lunch was shortlisted for the 2011 NSW Premier’s Literary Awards). Lovers of wine may want to look out for Kissane’s poetry on the labels of winemaker Coriole, as he is their reigning National Wine Poet. Lovers of stimulating fiction will find much in The Swarm to appeal to the palate too.

Andrew Wilkins is the director of Wilkins Farago and a former publisher of Bookseller+Publisher

Category: Reviews