This new collection resoundingly affirms Jessica Anderson's remarkable talents. In stories told from the point of view of a young girl growing up in Brisbane, Anderson re-creates the "warm zone" of family life -- sibling rivalries and oddly formed alliances, the subtle interplay among mother, father, sisters and brother as they establish separate identities within the family, in school, and in society. Sydney Stories delves into the "adult" concerns. From a finely drawn portrait of a woman recently divorced, to a rich, often funny novella about the secret affair between a middle-aged man and his daughter's mother-in-law, Anderson looks into the human heart and captures it in all its contradictions and wonders.
This new collection resoundingly affirms Jessica Anderson's remarkable talents. In stories told from the point of view of a young girl growing up in Brisbane, Anderson re-creates the "warm zone" of family life -- sibling rivalries and oddly formed alliances, the subtle interplay among mother, father, sisters and brother as they establish separate identities within the family, in school, and in society. Sydney Stories delves into the "adult" concerns. From a finely drawn portrait of a woman recently divorced, to a rich, often funny novella about the secret affair between a middle-aged man and his daughter's mother-in-law, Anderson looks into the human heart and captures it in all its contradictions and wonders.