999 Challenge - September 2009

The Good Parents by Joan London (Australian Authors)
This is a story of loss and disappearences. Maya is a girl from Western Australia who moves to Melbourne to start a new exciting life after a failed relationship with a member of the Brethern. She finds work with a shady businessman Maynard whose wife is dying of cancer. Maynard initates an affair with Maya and after his wife dies lures her off to Queensland with him. Maya's parents are coming to Melbourne for a visit and Maya fails to let them know she will not be there. Toni and Jacob, Maya's parents arrive with baggage of their own from the past. Toni when in her teens becomes involved with a Perth racketeer and engages Jacob to help her disappear. Long before this Jacob's own father disappears and his mother arranges her own disappearence from Sydney to Perth. Jacob's sister Kitty returns to Perth after a long absence overseas and Toni friend and neighbour Chris vanishes overseas after meeting a man on the internet.
I was in two minds with this book as it didn't hold my interest all of the time it seemed to ramble on, never quite getting there.
The Slap by Christos Tsiolkas ( General Reading)
This book was on of the best reads I have experienced in a while, although the language and the sex were a little full on at times.
It starts at a BBQ with family and friends when Harry slaps three year old Hugo (who needs to learn boundaries) is treatening his older son. It is not so much about the slap but its far reaching effects on the people who witnessed it. The characters are mulicutural, young, old, gay and straight and are like onions they all have many layers. This book gets you thinking what would you do given the same circumstance could you choose between partner, family and friends.
Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert (Biography)
When Elizabeth turned thirty she goes through a mid life crisis. She no longer wants to be married or have a successful career or a beautiful home. She goes through a depressing divorce and a failed love affair. She is consumed with panic and grief. To recover and to give herself time and space she takes the radical step and quits her job, gets rid of all her material belongings and undertakes a year long journey. Firstly she goes to Italy then to India and finally to Bali spending four months in each place. This is a story of self discovery and what happens when you take responsibilty for your own contentment in life and when love is found in the least likely place. It was a very pleasurable read a travelogue of soul searching and self discovery.
Shark Net by Robert Drewe (Biogaphy)
This book is the biography of writer Robert Drewe. The story is intertwined with a series of murders that were committed by Eric Cooke a seial killer during the 1960's. Eric Cooke was the last man to be hanged in Western Australia.
It is also the story of growing up in the 1950's and 1960's in the isolated and unpretentious city of Perth. Uprooted from his home in Melbourne when his father is promoted to assistant manager in the Dunlop firm in Western Australia.
Robert Drewe starts his career as a young reporter on West Australian under the supervision of gruff police roundsman Ralph Wheatley. Drewe is sent to cover the committal hearing of Eric Cooke. It is revealed that Drewe knew Cooke as he was employed by Dunlops and did occassional work around the Drewe home. One of the people murdered was also a friend of Drewe's.
It was a good read, a wonderful portrayal of growing up in the 50's and 60's. A few years ago I had read Broken lives: serial killer Eric Cooke's secret crimes and it was good to read a diffrent perspective on the crime part of the story. The DVD of the same title is a must watch.