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AbstractHistoryArchive Description
'And then I was pregnant, and we realised we had no space for a baby.
'We looked at all kinds of houses: big, new ones with columns and render; little cottages with beaten weatherboard; a yellow brick monstrosity with a paved yard where there should have been grass. But we were drawn to the rolling water. And our heart stayed behind when we left.
'Heather and Dave have found the perfect place to raise their first child. The house has character, but it's the garden that really makes it: red-faced impatiens, pockmarked gums, six upright pittosporums to keep the neighbours out. It's a jungle. A hiding place. A refuge.
'And then, without warning, that life is over.
'Heartbreaking, fearless, and ablaze with a coruscating beauty all its own, The Paper House tells the story of a woman sinking into the depths of grief, and the desperate efforts of her loved ones to bring her up for air. A sharp-eyed, bittersweet depiction of the love between parents and children, and the havoc that love can wreak.' (Publication summary)
Notes
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Dedication: For my dad, who has always said 'you can'
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Works about this Work
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The Art and Genius of Metaphor in Anna Spargo-Ryan’s The Paper House
2019
single work
column
— Appears in: The Conversation , 22 October 2019;'Anna Spargo-Ryan’s debut novel, The Paper House (2016), is a layered articulation of loss and grief, perception and reality. It explores the nature of reality as felt and lived by protagonist Heather – not always what the other characters consider as real.' (Introduction)
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Rocky Roads from Sorrow to Hope
2016
single work
review
— Appears in: The Advertiser , 16 July 2016; (p. 36)
— Review of Music and Freedom 2016 single work novel ; The Paper House 2016 single work novel -
The Paper House Review : Anna Spargo-Ryan's Imaginative Look at Loss
2016
single work
review
— Appears in: Brisbane Times , 25 June 2016;
— Review of The Paper House 2016 single work novel 'There is something magical about Anna Spargo-Ryan's debut, The Paper House. In a novel singularly about loss, The Paper House dances through its subject, dealing intelligently with tragedy without becoming grim itself. ...' -
A Harrowing Loss and a Delicate Touch
2016
single work
review
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 25-26 June 2016; (p. 24) The Saturday Age , 25-26 June 2016; (p. 24)
— Review of The Paper House 2016 single work novel -
Anna Spargo-Ryan : The Paper House
2016
single work
review
— Appears in: The Newtown Review of Books , June 2016;
— Review of The Paper House 2016 single work novel
-
Anna Spargo-Ryan : The Paper House
2016
single work
review
— Appears in: The Newtown Review of Books , June 2016;
— Review of The Paper House 2016 single work novel -
A Harrowing Loss and a Delicate Touch
2016
single work
review
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 25-26 June 2016; (p. 24) The Saturday Age , 25-26 June 2016; (p. 24)
— Review of The Paper House 2016 single work novel -
The Paper House Review : Anna Spargo-Ryan's Imaginative Look at Loss
2016
single work
review
— Appears in: Brisbane Times , 25 June 2016;
— Review of The Paper House 2016 single work novel 'There is something magical about Anna Spargo-Ryan's debut, The Paper House. In a novel singularly about loss, The Paper House dances through its subject, dealing intelligently with tragedy without becoming grim itself. ...' -
Rocky Roads from Sorrow to Hope
2016
single work
review
— Appears in: The Advertiser , 16 July 2016; (p. 36)
— Review of Music and Freedom 2016 single work novel ; The Paper House 2016 single work novel -
Thuy On Reviews 'The Paper House' by Anna Spargo-Ryan
2016
single work
review
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , September no. 384 2016; (p. 55)
— Review of The Paper House 2016 single work novel -
The Art and Genius of Metaphor in Anna Spargo-Ryan’s The Paper House
2019
single work
column
— Appears in: The Conversation , 22 October 2019;'Anna Spargo-Ryan’s debut novel, The Paper House (2016), is a layered articulation of loss and grief, perception and reality. It explores the nature of reality as felt and lived by protagonist Heather – not always what the other characters consider as real.' (Introduction)