My partner gave me this book for my birthday. She found it in a bookshop when she was looking for a book I told her I wanted (Richard Ford's "Let Me Be Frank With You"). I don't know what led her to pick it off the shelf, but I'm certainly glad she made the choice. I found this to be a really excellent novel for me. That's not to say it will please everyone, as my tastes are somewhat quirky and idiosyncratic . What I liked about this book was the rich language, the clever plot development and gradual revelation of the story, the nature of the characters, the role of music in the characters' lives, the apparent depth of the author's knowledge on diverse topics, the depth of character development, the focus on family relationships, the dominance of death as a theme, the existential analysis, and the era and geography in which it is set (modern - mostly Australia, but not overbearingly so and not with obvious commercial factors in mind). I found myself reading more and more slowly as the book progressed - not wanting to finish and not wanting to miss any of the elements and complexity. The basic premise of the book - the idea that two brothers invent a language to share their experience of the world - is rather bizarre and would normally put me off reading such a book altogether. But Nike Sulway has done an amazing job of integrating this inventive device into a profound and moving story. I suspect she is a very thoughtful, emotional and intelligent person with whom a relationship would be challenging but incredibly rewarding! (and that's a good summary of my encounter with this book) ( )

Queensland author Nike Sulway is a versatile writer. She won the Queensland Premier’s Literary Award for an Emerging Author and was also shortlisted in the Commonwealth Writers Prize with her novel The Bone Flute, (UQP, 2001) and also published The True Green of Hope (UQP) in 2005, both under the name N.A. Bourke. I knew her work as a children’s author when, under the name Nike Bourke, she and illustrator Stella Danalis were shortlisted in the 2006 Children’s Book Council of Australia Awards and I read her picture book, What the Sky Knows to my classes. I can see from her Goodreads page that she also writes science fiction and fantasy, and that under the name Nike Sulway, she won the James Tiptree, Jr Award for Rupetta, (Tartarus Press, 2013) for a work that explores and expands our understanding of gender.

Her latest novel Dying in the First Person is a moving exploration of grief and identity, as well as a meditation on the power of language and translation. But it’s very hard to convey just how stunning it is without spoilers. I’ll just try to do my best…

Samuel and Morgan are twin brothers, separated by more than the oceans that lie between them. Samuel, whose point-of-view dominates the narrative, has stayed at home in Australia, caring for his widowed mother and living a conventional if lonely life. Morgan took off after his father’s suicide and has never returned. His sole contact with his family is to forward his writing for translation by Samuel. As boys, they had created a fantasy land with its own history and language, and now the continuing Nahum stories are widely read, providing both men with work to do and an income to live on. But Morgan’s extreme political beliefs have led him to live a nomadic life, and to eschew both possessions and relationships. His brother Samuel actually knows almost nothing about him.

The story begins with Morgan’s unexpected death in the Netherlands, and the arrival of his enigmatic partner Ana, who accompanies the body home. She also brings the last Nahum manuscript, and the prospect of Samuel learning something about his brother’s life. But silences descend.

To read the rest of my review please visit https://anzlitlovers.com/2016/09/22/dying-in-the-first-person-by-nike-sulway/ ( )