Reckoning

'A brave and tender book about everything that matters most in life.' Cate Blanchett 'This is a remarkable memoir, that weaves the tragedy of twentieth century history into a personal narrative of coming to terms with family and self, and manages to honour both stories. The writing is assured and controlled, the storytelling expert and thoughtful, the language eloquent and moving. The writing, the story, the voice-all of it is beautiful.' Christos Tsiolkas 'Reckoning is a riveting, overwhelmingly poignant autobiography by a woman of genius...It is an extraordinary hymn to the tragic heroism at the heart of ordinary life and the soaring moral scrutiny of womankind. Every library should have it, every school should teach it.' Weekend Australian 'Unlike most autobiographies by famous people, Reckoning has substance beyond the writer's fame...Szubanski's fine memoir, written with great style, adds another layer to our history - another startling migrant story.' Crikey 'Reckoning is a powerful, exquisitely written account of Szubanski's loves and lives thus far.' West Australian 'With its hints of nostalgia, raw honesty, compassion, and a good amount of bravery, Szubanski's Reckoning reflects on the truths we hide and the realities we cannot ignore as we develop into and through our adult lives.' Conversation 'Sensitive and searching, colourful and vividly composed...stylish and accomplished.' Sydney Morning Herald 'Nearly every memoir is described as brave these days but Szubanski has earned the word...The result of her efforts is an affecting story of family intimacy - soulfully and sensitively told.' Saturday Paper '[Reckoning] reveals [Magda] to be an extraordinarily rare talent - somebody with first-rate emotional and comedic instincts as well as a fierce intellect which would allow her to succeed in any academic task she'd set herself...This is a book which will be good for the soul of anybody who reads it.' Daily Review '[Reckoning is] a page-turner...The quality of a memoir depends on how interesting a life the person writing it has had and Szubanski doesn't appear to do dull. She is articulate and likeable as she tries to reconcile herself with the many difficult aspects of her past.' New Zealand Herald [Reckoning] untangles intergenerational trauma with intelligence and insight...[Szubanski] declares herself as a sensitive intellectual who is cursed, or blessed, depending on your point of view, with the fervent desire to understand.' Newtown Review of Books