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ABBEY'S BOOKSELLER PICK ----- On an otherwise very ordinary Saturday in a mid-sized rural town a few hours from the capital, every nine year old at a soccer match suddenly freezes, sings a phrase in Latin, then bloats because of sodium overload, and dies. Turns out every nine year old child on the planet did the same thing at the same time...
What happens over the next year is extraordinary as every child turning nine dies, and the town of Gattan is a microcosm of the varying responses to the plague known as Orpheus Nine. From blaming the government, to terrorist responses, to obsession over salt in the children's diets, to opportunistic jockeying for power, the residents of Gattan show their worst (and sometimes their best).
A rather startling concept, the novel is engrossing as we follow certain townsfolk through their confusion, uncertainty and anger, or even their smugness. Is there an answer – well, you have to read it to find out – but there is an unexpected ending... Great characterisation too! Lindy
Born in Belfast, Chris Flynn now lives in a small town in regional Victoria. He is the author of Mammoth, The Glass Kingdom and A Tiger in Eden, the story collection Here Be Leviathans, and three books for children in association with Museums Victoria, Horridus and the Hidden Valley, Horridus and the Night Forest and The Quest for Kool. His work has appeared in Spinning Around: The Kylie Playlist, Griffith Review, Kill Your Darlings, Monster Children, McSweeney's, The Paris Review, Meanjin, The Guardian, The Age, The Australian, The Big Issue, Australian Book Review and many other publications. Chris's books have been shortlisted for and won prizes such as the Indie Book Award, Commonwealth Book Prize, Russell Prize for Humour, Queensland Premier's Literary Award and Aurealis Award. His mum and dad were foster parents. He grew up with more than 100 brothers and sisters, all aged under nine.
ABBEY'S BOOKSELLER PICK ----- On an otherwise very ordinary Saturday in a mid-sized rural town a few hours from the capital, every nine year old at a soccer match suddenly freezes, sings a phrase in Latin, then bloats because of sodium overload, and dies. Turns out every nine year old child on the planet did the same thing at the same time...
What happens over the next year is extraordinary as every child turning nine dies, and the town of Gattan is a microcosm of the varying responses to the plague known as Orpheus Nine. From blaming the government, to terrorist responses, to obsession over salt in the children's diets, to opportunistic jockeying for power, the residents of Gattan show their worst (and sometimes their best).
A rather startling concept, the novel is engrossing as we follow certain townsfolk through their confusion, uncertainty and anger, or even their smugness. Is there an answer – well, you have to read it to find out – but there is an unexpected ending... Great characterisation too! Lindy
