Paul Collis

My first attempt to read this book led to me abandoning it, but I thought long and hard about doing that, and was hesitant to send it back to the library unfinished.
It is a raw, powerful, authentic portrayal of the damage done to Indigenous people by policies past and present that have been inflicted on them. It's the story of two drug-addicted, violent men, just released from prison for a crime that Blackie says he didn't commit. They are on a road-journey back to his Wiradjuri country, to reconnect with his family but also to have his revenge against the policeman who confected evidence against him and landed him in gaol.
I read more than half of the book, and was impressed by energy of the writing and the uncompromising style. Collis tells it like it is, apparently, see Cass Moriaty's review here at GR too. But it is unrelentingly grim, and although I have read a fair bit of Indigenous Lit and reviewed it on my blog, I had not long before read Kim Scott's True Country which had left me feeling nothing but despair about the state of Australia's Indigenous people, and I found myself turning away from Dancing Home to read other things. That could be a metaphor for what so many Australians do, to turn away, but for many of us it is not because we don't care, but because we feel utterly powerless. We have a government that includes people who refused to attend the Apology to the Stolen Generations and still refuses to listen. This government won't consider a Makarata, or an acknowledgment of sovereignty or the possibility of a treaty - and won't even implement the policies that are need for Closing the Gap to succeed.
But I came back to this book, and tried again when I was not feeling so disheartened. I finished it, and have scheduled my review for Indigenous Literature Week at ANZLitLovers.com (July8-15 2018), see https://anzlitlovers.com/2018/07/08/dancing-home-by-paul-collis-bookreview/.… (mer)

When Henry Greenville learns that his unique, first draft novel has been stolen and is in the process of being turned into a Hollywood movie, he is rightfully furious. What is this struggling actor/author to do? Revenge, Shakespearean style.

At first I had a hard time getting into this novel as it starts off with the first two chapters of Henry's first draft. Once the actual story gets started, it definitely had my attention. Following Henry as he gets his revenge was a lot of fun.

The only downside is the swearing. Four letter words are used FREQUENTLY.

I received a free copy of the book from the author in exchange for an honest review.… (mer)

"The sun had been up for several hours but, beneath the gray horizon-spanning slab of cloud, no one felt its presence." This opening sentence, a version of "it was a dark and stormy night", starts a wonderful story about murder, intrigue, theft, revenge and all those wonderful things that intertwine in good stories. The Scottish Movie, of course is a modern Scottish Play, Shakespeare's Macbeth, the title never to cross the lips of those involved in its production. Paul Collis' book is a very good combination of historical and modern entertainment. Do read it.… (mer)