John Grant does not enjoy his job as a teacher in the heat and dust of some two bit Australian town and right from the beginning of the book its clear he can't wait to be back in "civilized" Sydney. Things however don't go too well for him and everything becomes a bit of an alcohol fuelled nightmare. It has to be said he is probably his own worst enemy, but you can't help despite his snobbery but feel sorry for this naive lad just looking forward to getting home. Some times the writing is a little clunky but he conveys the heat, dust and desire for booze perfectly. The scenes involving drinking shortly after waking up are brilliantly horrible and queasy and the middle hunting scene is a doozy. Interesting commentary on Australian culture and the split between "civilized" western Australia and the "neanderthal" interior. It was made into a film which I havent seen although its meant to be really good. Great holiday read, short, sharp, entertaining and memorable.
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