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'Lives turned upside down by a bureaucratic error in this Kafkaesque work of neo-absurdism. 'Original, intelligent and compelling - a rare combination. Formaldehyde pulls off a complex narrative with frequent time and point-of-view shifts without ever losing the reader. For a vella that borders on the Kafkaesque, it has a good deal of heart. The interconnecting stories are handled adroitly - the clever structure never gets in the way of the writing, which is sharply observed, assured and witty. Smart but never showy. The most original vel I've read for some time.' - Graeme Simsion 'Immerse yourself in Jane Rawson's Formaldehyde if you like the seriously weird or the creepily wonderful. This story has small but persistent claws; under cover of its smooth, conversational narration you will be clasped and dragged into some tough, strange places. Let it take you there. Let it blow your tiny mind.' - Margo Lanagan 'Skipping across different times and genres, Formaldehyde is a wonderfully strange and inventive story of love, loss and severed limbs.' - Ryan O'Neill' (Publication summary)
Notes
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Dedication: For Christine Hirst
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Works about this Work
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What I’m Reading—Tania Chandler
2016
single work
column
— Appears in: Meanjin Online 2016; -
Australian Fiction
2015
single work
review
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 7-8 November 2015; (p. 23)
— Review of Hope Farm 2015 single work novel ; Locust Girl : A Lovesong 2015 single work novel ; Formaldehyde 2015 single work novella ; Going Out Backwards 2015 selected work short story
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Australian Fiction
2015
single work
review
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 7-8 November 2015; (p. 23)
— Review of Hope Farm 2015 single work novel ; Locust Girl : A Lovesong 2015 single work novel ; Formaldehyde 2015 single work novella ; Going Out Backwards 2015 selected work short story -
What I’m Reading—Tania Chandler
2016
single work
column
— Appears in: Meanjin Online 2016;
Awards
- 2016 shortlisted Norma K. Hemming Award
- 2015 winner Viva La Novella Award