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Sydney Bridge Upside Down (1968)

by David Ballantyne(Favorite Author)

3.75 of 5 Votes: 1

ISBN

0582717833 (ISBN13: 9780582717831)

languge

English

genre

Fiction

publisher

Paul Longman

review 1: One of those books expertly written from the perspective of a likeable, horrible character. There are some fantastically fluid dream sequences in this book, but other moments where the writing seems rushed (particularly at the end). Some things I loved about the book: the use of the abandoned meatworks to give the setting & psychology of the protagonist a sense that they are both crumbling, dangerous, but fun places to get lost in; the way cousin Caroline's hormones seem to sweat all over the book, making characters act in ways they wouldn't if she wasn't around; Sam Phelps and his horse, who are always in the background, suggesting something - but you're never sure what. The last chapter seemed written just before the book was posted to the publisher though, or as an afte... morerthought at least. Not sure what it adds to the whole.
review 2: An Adelaide (Australia) radio announcer was "raving" about this book, otherwise I'd never have heard of it. It's a rather strange story about the events of a summer in an isolated town in New Zealand. It's told from the perspective of a pre-adolescent boy, whose dysfunction is central to the story. The characters were weird, mysterious and menacing, with a constant undercurrent of deviance and dysfunction. The narrative is gripping and engaging, but it's far from an uplifting read. It's said to be New Zealand's greatest novel. I can see why, even though its tone and subject is far from mainstream. less

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