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https://theconversation.com/tim-winton-goes-cli-fi-his-dystopian-novel-juice-breaks-new-ground-to-face-the-climate-emergency-238769>
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Review: Juice – Tim Winton (Hamish Hamilton)
When I got my first job in publishing in New York City, the managing editor
offered me the following advice about reading the slush pile for potential new
acquisitions: “Imagine you acquire the manuscript and publish the book. Now,
can you think of five people you would recommend this book to because you know
they would enjoy reading it, and what would you say to get them interested?”
It turns out, coming up with compelling reasons for five people is harder than
it sounds. Ever since, this has been one of my benchmarks for judging a book’s
worthiness. It reminds me to think about how real readers might respond to a
book and the varied reasons that compel them.
Since finishing Tim Winton’s ambitious and surprising new novel
Juice, I have
found reasons to recommend it to my rock-climbing buddy, a poet, my
mother-in-law, a university colleague who teaches creative writing, and a
geologist who works in Western Australia’s resources industry.
It has been six years since Tim Winton’s last novel. In that time, he has
published only one book: a collection of scripts titled
Three Plays. That is
a remarkably quiet period for Winton, who published his first book in 1982 and
more than 30 books since, averaging a book every 1.4 years.
He has won Australia’s highest literary honour, the Miles Franklin Literary
Award, four times – tying with Thea Astley for the most wins (though two of
Astley’s wins were shared; Winton’s were all solo wins). He first won the award
in 1984 for
Shallows, and most recently in 2009 for
Breath. His last novel,
The Shepherd’s Hut, was shortlisted for numerous awards and won the Voss
Literary Prize, which is judged by the Australian University Heads of English.
Clearly, Winton has a sustained record of excellence as a writer that merits
attention from any reader interested in the great works of Australian
literature. Will
Juice be judged among these? I think it’s very good but not
great, though many readers will want to judge for themselves.
Winton has a reputation for writing books containing certain subject matter and
stylistic features. His previous books display a strong attachment to the
coastal regions of WA and associated activities, including surfing, fishing and
diving. There is also a strong thread of young men coming of age, which has led
some to judge his work as too blokey, and a concern with the themes of
Christianity and spirituality. In terms of style, Winton is known for his use
of Australian vernacular.
Juice contains few of these themes. It is a work of dystopian fiction, which
is a sub-genre of science fiction. You heard that right: Tim Winton has written
a science fiction novel. Moreover, he has embraced many of the genre’s
conventions. It is exciting to see a writer of Winton’s longevity doing
something new. His attempt to break new ground will be reason enough for many
readers to pick up this book."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
