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Mills gives an overview of Australian author Gary Crew's work, which she describes as 'characterized by doubt' and offering endings which remain unresolved rather than the formulaic 'happy endings' which permeate conventional children's stories (25). Crew has won many literary awards for his children's fiction, however his stories are decidely ambiguous and post-modern in their 'celebration of doubt' (34), which attracts criticism on the grounds that the texts are too 'difficult and demanding for young children' (25). Mills offers a succinct and insightful discussion which explores how Crew's narratives of child-adolescent maturation play with the conventions of the gothic-horror genre by refusing 'the guarantee of a revelation to come' (34). Mills says 'At his strongest, he brings to the reader's notice the human need to make sense of the world. The power of his fiction derives not from him meeting such needs but from playing upon them' (25).
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Last amended 1 Nov 2007 10:12:41
Subjects:
- The Inner Circle 1986 single work novel
- The House of Tomorrow 1988 single work novel
- Strange Objects 1990 single work novel
- No Such Country : A Book of Antipodean Hours 1991 single work novel
- Inventing Anthony West 1994 single work novel
- The Blue Feather 1997 single work novel
- The Well 1996 single work children's fiction
- The Bent-Back Bridge 1995 single work children's fiction
- The Barn 1995 single work children's fiction
- Mama's Babies 1998 single work novel
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