AustLit logo
image of person or book cover 8476833497895963225.jpg
Image courtesy of publisher's website.
y separately published work icon Sleeping Dogs single work   novel   young adult  
Issue Details: First known date: 1995... 1995 Sleeping Dogs
The material on this page is available to AustLit subscribers. If you are a subscriber or are from a subscribing organisation, please log in to gain full access. To explore options for subscribing to this unique teaching, research, and publishing resource for Australian culture and storytelling, please contact us or find out more.

AbstractHistoryArchive Description

The misanthropic, sadistic father of five children, ages 12 to 25, Griffin Willow runs a trailer park on his dilapidated farm in rural Australia. Isolated from all outside influences, even the neighboring small town, the Willow family has created its own oppressive, sheltered, and decaying world. Despite abuse from their father and a silent, withdrawn mother, all five children live at home and help run the trailer park. Twenty-three-year-old Michelle and her younger brother Jordan have found solace in an incestuous relationship, which they carefully conceal from their parents. When Bow Fox, an itinerant artist, comes to stay at the park, their 15-year-old brother, Oliver, accidently reveals their secret. So begins an agonizing, irreversible progression of violence and betrayal. (Source: Trove)

Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of

    • Ringwood, Ringwood - Croydon - Kilsyth area, Melbourne - East, Melbourne, Victoria,: Viking , 1995 .
      image of person or book cover 8476833497895963225.jpg
      Image courtesy of publisher's website.
      Extent: 129p.
      ISBN: 0670860042
    • New York (City), New York (State),
      c
      United States of America (USA),
      c
      Americas,
      :
      Viking ,
      1995 .
      Extent: 129p.
      ISBN: 0670865036
    • Ringwood, Ringwood - Croydon - Kilsyth area, Melbourne - East, Melbourne, Victoria,: Penguin , 1997 .
      Extent: 129p.
      ISBN: 0140385355 (pbk.)
    • Melbourne, Victoria,: Penguin , 2016 .
      image of person or book cover 3700653494752586657.jpg
      Cover image courtesy of publisher.
      Extent: 208p.
      Note/s:
      • Published 27 June 2016
      ISBN: 9780143574019
Alternative title: Casa Willow
Language: Italian

Other Formats

  • Also sound recording.

Works about this Work

Adolescence Adrift : The Lost Child in Contemporary Australian Gothic YA Fiction Adam Kealley , 2021 single work criticism
— Appears in: Young Adult Gothic Fiction : Monstrous Selves/Monstrous Others 2021;
"The House Will Come to You" : Domestic Architecture in Contemporary Australian Literature and Film Ella Jeffery , Emma Doolan , 2020 single work criticism
— Appears in: Antipodes , vol. 34 no. 2 2020; (p. 277-295)
'The house has long been an archetypal site of Gothic terror and entrapment. The Gothic dwelling is one of the most steadfast conventions of the mode, shifting as the Gothic has shifted through history to encompass a range of sites, from castles to cabins, speaking to ongoing anxieties about the security and stability of the home, nation, family, or self. The Gothic’s “relentlessly ‘architectural’ obsessions” (Castle 88) have been well documented, and Gothic buildings are frequently read as psychological as much as physical spaces. The Gothic edifice functions as a “sensation-machine” (Castle 88) capable of generating the sublime feeling of being overwhelmed by a greater power. The Gothic house, operating on a smaller scale, has likewise been associated with overarching power structures such as the nation, family, or—in the Female Gothic—patriarchy.' (Publication abstract)
The Troll under the Bridge : Should Australian Publishers of Young Adult Literature Act as Moral-Gatekeepers? Shivaun Plozza , 2015 single work criticism
— Appears in: TEXT : Special Issue Website Series , October no. 32 2015;

'In the world of Young Adult Literature, the perceived impact of certain texts on the moral, social and psychological development of its readers is a cause for debate. The question ‘what is suitable content for a pre-adult readership’ is one guaranteed to produce conflicting, polarising and impassioned responses. Within the context of this debate, the essay explores a number of key questions. Do publishers have a moral obligation to avoid certain topics or should they be pushing the boundaries of teen fiction further? Is it the role of the publisher to consider the impact of books they publish to a teenage audience? Should the potential impact of a book on its reader be considered ahead of a book’s potential to sell and make money? This article analyses criticism and praise for two ‘controversial’ Australian Young Adult books: Sonya Hartnett’s Sleeping Dogs (1997) and John Marsden’s Dear Miffy (1997). It argues that ‘issues-books’ are necessary to the development of teens, and publishers should continue to push the envelope of teen fiction while ensuring they make a concerted effort to produce quality, sensitive and challenging books for a teen market.'

Source: Abstract.

Horrible and Beautiful Deborah Stevenson , 2013 single work column
— Appears in: The Horn Book Magazine , March/April vol. 89 no. 2 2013; (p. 29)
Books That Changed Me Nicole Trope Nicole Trope , 2013 single work column
— Appears in: The Sun-Herald , 9 June 2013; (p. 12)
Second Look Peter Craven , 2003 single work review
— Appears in: The Sunday Age , 8 June 2003; (p. 10)

— Review of Sleeping Dogs Sonya Hartnett , 1995 single work novel
Untitled Martin Turner , 2001 single work review
— Appears in: Fiction Focus : New Titles for Teenagers , vol. 15 no. 3 2001; (p. 50)

— Review of Sleeping Dogs Sonya Hartnett , 1995 single work novel
Sequel to a Squire's Tale Beats a Record Field Laurie Copping , 1996 single work review
— Appears in: The Canberra Times , 17 August 1996; (p. C10)

— Review of Pagan's Vows Catherine Jinks , 1995 single work novel ; The First Book of Samuel Ursula Dubosarsky , 1995 single work novel ; Sleeping Dogs Sonya Hartnett , 1995 single work novel
Older Readers Nicola Robinson , 1996 single work review
— Appears in: Australian Bookseller & Publisher , June vol. 75 no. 1070 1996; (p. 28,30)

— Review of Pagan's Vows Catherine Jinks , 1995 single work novel ; Deucalion Brian Caswell , 1995 single work novel ; The House on River Terrace James Moloney , 1995 single work novel ; Getting Somewhere Jenny Pausacker , 1995 single work novel ; The First Book of Samuel Ursula Dubosarsky , 1995 single work novel ; Sleeping Dogs Sonya Hartnett , 1995 single work novel
Kids' Stuff Margaret Dunkle , 1995 single work review
— Appears in: Australian Bookseller & Publisher , April vol. 74 no. 1057 1995; (p. 44,46-47, 54)

— Review of Metal Skin Jocelyn Harewood , 1995 single work novel ; Sleeping Dogs Sonya Hartnett , 1995 single work novel ; Restless : Stories of Flight and Fear Garry Disher , 1995 selected work short story ; The First Day Sophie Masson , 1995 single work novel
The Children's Book Council of Australia Annual Awards 1996 1996 single work criticism
— Appears in: Reading Time : The Journal of the Children's Book Council of Australia , August vol. 40 no. 3 1996; (p. 3-11)
Written for Children Jill Ireland , 1996 single work correspondence
— Appears in: Quadrant , October vol. 40 no. 10 1996; (p. 9)
On Corrupting the Youth - A Reply to Jill Ireland Val Van Putten , 1997 single work criticism
— Appears in: Reading Time : The Journal of the Children's Book Council of Australia , May vol. 41 no. 2 1997; (p. 7-9)
Val van Putten counters Jill Ireland's criticism of some of the books written for older readers shortlisted in the Children's Book Council of Australia Book of the Year Awards.
Finding a Place Emilie Collyer , 2004 single work column
— Appears in: Viewpoint : On Books for Young Adults , Autumn vol. 12 no. 1 2004; (p. 6-7)
Defining the Young Jennifer Moran , 2004 single work criticism
— Appears in: The Courier-Mail , 23 October 2004; (p. 7)
This article discusses the blurring of lines between adult and young adult literature.
Last amended 5 Sep 2022 13:37:09
X