AustLit
Latest Issues
Notes
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Introduction by Toby Litt
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Contents indexing complete.
Contents
- All Her Friends are Gods & All Her Gods are Trying to Give Up Smoking, single work short story (p. 17-18)
- Phrenology, single work short story (p. 19-20)
- Hoodwinkin' the Ol' Factory, single work short story (p. 21-22)
- Either Way, single work short story (p. 23-24)
- Some Notes, single work short story (p. 25-28)
- Gag Reflex, single work short story (p. 29-30)
- Waltzing Matilda, single work short story (p. 31-34)
- The Bomb, single work short story (p. 35-39)
- A Metaphor for Sex, single work short story (p. 40-43)
- Orifice, single work short story (p. 44-47)
- Opening Lines about a Trip to America, single work short story (p. 48-51)
- The Man Who Grew Mexican Walking Fish, single work short story (p. 56-59)
- Almost Just a Flatmate, single work short story (p. 60-63)
- The Mansion, single work short story (p. 64-67)
- Dead by Tuesday, single work short story (p. 68-72)
- Better Not, single work short story (p. 73-78)
- Heroes & Civilians, single work short story (p. 79-84)
- Eedjit, single work short story (p. 85-92)
- Ninety-nine Cents a Day, single work short story (p. 93-100)
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The Gauze Canal,
single work
short story
(p. 101-107)
The protagonist lived through war as a child, spending his early life in underground shelters. One day, he goes deaf from a particularly intense assault, and the doctor pushes gauze into his ears.
His family immigrates to another country, where they, too, become quiet as language barriers make it difficult to communicate. The protagonist has to learn a new written language, but faces less trouble on account of not being expected to communicate.
After his parents die, the protagonist eventually visits the doctor after his eyes and head start to hurt. The doctor inspects him and pulls the long-forgotten gauze out of his ears, and suddenly, he can hear again. The sensation overloads him. When he goes home, he stuffs tissues back into his ears, and returns to silence.
