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AbstractHistoryArchive Description
'The elderly Mrs Shoddy suffers acute depression as a result of a bushfire that kills her beloved horses. A capable countrywoman, she loses her grip and is living in squalor when the district nurse finds her and has her committed to an insane asylum. The time is 1982; the place, a country town in NSW. The NSW Department of Lunacy is still in operation, headed by an official with the title The Master in Lunacy.
In this powerful novel, finding herself pitted against the power of the state, Mrs Shoddy calls on her memories of her missing husband, on the spirit of her horses and on the recovery of her self-respect and resilience to create a world in which she can remain sane, even against the institutional brutality she is subjected to. And the characters in her mind become as palpable as the real people she is surrounded by.' (Publisher's blurb)
Notes
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Dedication: For Julian Burnside.
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Epigraph: You are not dying because you are ill. You are dying because you are alive. - Montaigne
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Other Formats
- Braille and sound recording.
Works about this Work
-
Love and Lunacy
2009
single work
review
— Appears in: Antipodes , December vol. 23 no. 2 2009; (p. 216-217)
— Review of Love Without Hope 2007 single work novel -
Prize Writers
2008
single work
column
— Appears in: The Age , 14 June 2008; (p. 28-29) 'Jane Sullivan assesses the field in Australia's most significant literary award.' (Editor's abstract) -
WA Writer Has Eyes on Franklin for Third Time
2008
single work
column
— Appears in: The West Australian , 18 April 2008; (p. 7) Names West Australian authors shortlisted for 2008 Miles Franklin Literary Award. -
Unpicking the Universe
2007
single work
review
— Appears in: Overland , Summer no. 189 2007; (p. 82-86)
— Review of Helen Garner and the Meaning of Everything 2006 single work novel ; National Treasure 2007 single work novel ; The Widow and Her Hero 2007 single work novel ; Long Afternoon of the World 2007 single work novel ; The American Brother 2007 single work novel ; Love Without Hope 2007 single work novel ; Company : A Novel 2006 single work novel ; The End of the World 2007 selected work short story ; Dodging the Bull : Stories 2007 selected work short story ; Rohypnol 2006 single work novel ; Feather Man 2007 single work novel ; Omar and Enzo in the Big Talking Book 2007 single work novel ; Confessions and Memoirs : National Anthology of New Australian Writing 2006 anthology short story extract autobiography -
The Year's Work in Fiction
2007
single work
review
— Appears in: Westerly , November vol. 52 no. 2007; (p. 187-199)
— Review of The Best Australian Stories 2006 2006 anthology short story extract ; Love Without Hope 2007 single work novel ; India Vik 2006 selected work short story ; Glass 2006 selected work short story ; The Unknown Terrorist 2006 single work novel ; The Unexpected Elements of Love 2006 single work novel ; Nights in the Asylum 2007 single work novel ; The American Brother 2007 single work novel ; Sorry 2007 single work novel ; Swallow the Air 2003 selected work short story ; The Gospel of Gods and Crocodiles 2007 single work novel ; Careless 2006 single work novel ; Feather Man 2007 single work novel ; Carpentaria 2006 single work novel
-
Master of Lunacy
2007
single work
review
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , February no. 288 2007; (p. 30-31)
— Review of Love Without Hope 2007 single work novel -
Seer in the Asylum
2007
single work
review
— Appears in: The Advertiser , 17 February 2007; (p. 10)
— Review of Love Without Hope 2007 single work novel -
A Keen Eye for the Mortal Storm
2007
single work
review
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 17-18 February 2007; (p. 32-33)
— Review of Love Without Hope 2007 single work novel -
Nightmare behind the Ordinary
2007
single work
review
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 17-18 February 2007; (p. 12-13)
— Review of Love Without Hope 2007 single work novel -
Mad, Bad and Dangerous
2007
single work
review
— Appears in: The Age , 17 February 2007; (p. 25)
— Review of Love Without Hope 2007 single work novel -
Unchained Melody
2007
single work
column
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 3-4 February 2007; (p. 30-31) -
WA Writer Has Eyes on Franklin for Third Time
2008
single work
column
— Appears in: The West Australian , 18 April 2008; (p. 7) Names West Australian authors shortlisted for 2008 Miles Franklin Literary Award. -
Prize Writers
2008
single work
column
— Appears in: The Age , 14 June 2008; (p. 28-29) 'Jane Sullivan assesses the field in Australia's most significant literary award.' (Editor's abstract)
Awards
- 2008 longlisted Australia-Asia Literary Award
- 2008 shortlisted Miles Franklin Literary Award
Last amended 4 Feb 2025 14:25:22
Settings:
- New South Wales,
- Country towns,
- 1982
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