It is, like the last, threatened pocket of bush in 'Jacko's Reach', a place of legend and myth, of childhood exploration and adolescent experiment. And, as in 'Lone Pine', it is the vast, empty, unforgiving, barely explored expanse of Australia which is fleetingly traversed by tourists, retirees and adventurers. For anyone unfamiliar with the Australian bush, all this may seem fanciful. Those who know it, will recognise it in these stories, just as they will recognise Malouf' s evocations of Australian life. Dream Stuff , certainly, is the work of a fine story-teller, and Malouf's characters and their stories are as interesting and as strongly presented in this book as the land they inhabit.
Standard disclaimers apply.
For permission to reproduce this text in any form contact Dr Ann Skea. In our busy age, the short story collection is often the ideal form of reading. A good short story will fill the train ride, the tea break at work, the wait for the kids to emerge from school. Complete in itself, it will grab the attention for just long enough, and then life can resume. John Holton's short story collection, Snowdropping, is an excellent example.