ABBEY'S BOOKSELLER PICK ---- Astrid Coleman belongs to Tasmania's political family - her father was a well liked Labor politician, her older sister is the Labor Opposition Leader, and her twin brother is the Liberal Premier. She took off as soon as she could, and rarely comes back. Her job as a UN conflict resolution specialist and her family in New York give her enough excuses not to return too often - until she receives a request and advice that she should… Her brother's pet infrastructure project - a magnificent bridge linking Bruny Island to the mainland, being built with the assistance of Chinese concerns - has been sabotaged and he needs her to step in to help smooth the way for its resumption. The residents of Bruny are on the whole, none too happy about their way of life being so disrupted. As she gathers information, it is all too obvious to her that bigger things are at stake, and they aren't being shared with the populace. And it might turn out, that she isn't sharing everything she knows with her brother, either! A real corker of a novel, which artfully combines the personal with the political, whilst envisaging scenarios that may not be so implausible in the very near future. Lindy Jones
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How far would your government go?
A right-wing US president has withdrawn America from the Middle East and the UN. Daesh has a thoroughfare to the sea and China is Australia's newest ally. When a bomb goes off in remote Tasmania, Astrid Coleman agrees to return home to help her brother before an upcoming election. But this is no simple task. Her brother and sister are on either side of politics, the community is full of conspiracy theories, and her father is quoting Shakespeare. Only on Bruny does the world seem sane.
Until Astrid discovers how far the government is willing to go.
Bruny is a searing, subversive, brilliant novel about family, love, loyalty and the new world order.
Praise for The Museum of Modern Love:
'A glorious novel, meditative and special in a way that defies easy articulation.' Hannah Kent, author of Burial Rites 'Audacious and beautiful.' Dominic Smith, author of The Last Painting of Sara de Vos 'I adored it, and it is my book of the year so far.' Amanda Rayner, Readings Reviews '... coruscates with captivating energy ... Incisive, beautiful, and precise.' Foreword Reviews, starred review 'Captivating ... a gem of a novel.' Library Journal, starred review 'Deeply involving ... profound ... emotionally rich and thought-provoking.' Booklist, starred review 'With rare subtlety and humanity, this novel relocates the difficult path to wonder in us all.' The Christina Stead Prize 2017 'Profound ... a tender meditation on art, love, grief, and life.' Bustle 'An unusual and lively work of fiction.' Newsday