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Book Club: The Brink, Lapvona, A Guide to Creatures in Your Neighbourhood and Raised by Wolves

Gemma Nisbet The West Australian
PLAY. WA author Holden Sheppard is releasing his second book The Brink in August. It’s the follow-up to his hugely successful (award-winning) debut Invisible Boys. Pictured in the Seven West Media studio. Jackson Flindell
Camera IconPLAY. WA author Holden Sheppard is releasing his second book The Brink in August. It’s the follow-up to his hugely successful (award-winning) debut Invisible Boys. Pictured in the Seven West Media studio. Jackson Flindell Credit: Jackson Flindell/The West Australian

THE BRINK

Holden Sheppard (Text, $24.99)

Holden Sheppard’s 2019 young-adult debut Invisible Boys was a critically acclaimed hit which married vividly authentic characterisation and a recognisably West Australian setting with a timely and forthright exploration of masculinity, sexuality and class. The Geraldton-raised, Perth-based author builds on this winning combination in his keenly anticipated follow-up, a YA novel that’s part coming-of-age story, part tale of social disintegration in the tradition of Lord of the Flies, and part gritty thriller set against the charged backdrop of an end-of-high-school trip.

The Brink follows a group of recent graduates as they set out for leavers’ week celebrations in Jurien Bay. They’re a fairly disparate bunch, as epitomised by Sheppard’s trio of narrators: level-headed Kaiya, recently elevated from the “second-tier” of the so-called popular crowd; hyper-masculine football star Mason, who just wants to hang out with his mates without the girls around; and geeky fish-out-of-water Leonardo, who is reluctantly tagging along with the cool kids even though he knows they don’t really want him there.

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After their plans go awry, the teenagers end up decamping to rugged, isolated Brink Island for what they hope will be an epic blowout. However, things quickly go south as their already fraying bonds degrade further in the face of hostility from locals and a series of dramatic incidents whose specifics I won’t spoil. As in Invisible Boys, Sheppard doesn’t shy away from depicting his characters’ bad behaviour — there’s plenty of self-destructive partying — while also representing their struggles with frankness and considerable empathy.

His three narrators are a case in point: each is attempting to fit in by keeping something significant hidden, and each is trying, in their own way, to be “good” — whether that means living up to parental, peer or societal expectations — while coming to realise that doing so will not ultimately insulate them from hurt, rejection or disappointment.

LAPVONA

Ottessa Moshfegh (Jonathan Cape, $32.99)

Ottessa Moshfegh has garnered not only an avid fan base — her widely lauded second novel, My Year of Rest and Relaxation, has become something of a sensation in the corner of TikTok known as “BookTok” — but also a reputation for writing about the unabashedly disgusting and depraved. This dark sensibility comes to the fore in her latest novel, set in a fictional village in what appears to be medieval Europe and centred on shepherd Jude and his neglected son, Marek. Individual readers’ enjoyment will depend in large part on their tolerance for grotesque detail and grim cruelty — and reactions so far have certainly been mixed — but Moshfegh’s prose remains both vivid and compelling.

Creatures in Your Neighbourhood.
Camera IconCreatures in Your Neighbourhood. Credit: Supplied

A GUIDE TO THE CREATURES IN YOUR NEIGHBOURHOOD

(Murdoch, $32.99)

It can be easy for those of us living in towns and cities to feel disconnected from nature. And yet, as the Australian experts behind the Urban Field Naturalist Project suggest, it’s possible to find wildlife “all around us, every day, in backyards and parks, on balconies and in courtyards, in disused industrial areas, and those little patches of green that hug the sides of highways”. Their new book aims to provide “an eclectic, playful, at times passionate guide to appreciating the plants and animals with which we share our urban places”, offering information on commonly encountered creatures — from snails to the much-maligned ibis (aka “bin chickens”) — plus ideas for activities, and more.

Raised by Wolves.
Camera IconRaised by Wolves. Credit: Supplied

RAISED BY WOLVES

Jess Ho (Affirm, $29.99)

Anyone who is nursing romantic notions about quitting their nine-to-five to open a bar or restaurant — or is simply curious to take a behind-the-scenes look into that world — would do well to pick up Jess Ho’s honest, engaging and often very funny memoir. Drawing on their many years in Melbourne’s food scene, Ho offers an incisive critique of the hospitality industry, combining forthright discussion of issues such as exploitative practices, cultural appropriation and sexual harassment with a deeply personal account of their own journey, from a childhood that “revolved around the lazy Susan” to a first job at a fast-food franchise and later a successful career as a food writer and hospitality professional.

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