I finished reading THE SLAP that you sent via Elliot
so I thought I’d share my responses to the
book , and ask you share your opinions back.
I also read the transcript from the Tuesday Book Club
from ABC TV , which I enjoyed. It really carried the
diversity of responses, it seems ‘you either love it, or
hate it’.
I enjoyed the book right to the end, and didnt find it
“padded” , by which people(includind Aija) probably
meant they were tired of it.
So much was written in the first person which gave it
a vivid feel, and a keen sense of entering into the
lives of the characters.
There were reflections by characters from time to time
that stopped me to think. eg Aisha thought she had
realised what love was, something that transended
the sex and the children. On the other hand, one
reason for her sticking to Hector was that they looked
a beautiful couple together- so vain !
I loved the Greek chapter Maniolis best. Great
exploration of traditional village attitudes, and Maniolis’
wife Koula was drawn harshly as a self-righteous
ungenerous soul . I was moved to tears a couple of
times in this chapter , and it thought this was tribute to
the skill of the writer .
The irritable aggressive alcoholic GARY reminded of
the father described in Wayne Carey’s new book
started in last weekend’s Sunday Mail . Wayne
decribes a terrible man who was verbally and
physically violent , and made Gary believable.
Rosie was believable because Cristos carefully
desribed her parents . Her behaviour was believable,
but not excusable. But I found it hard to believe the friendship and
loyalty Rosie got from Aisha and the other single
girlfriend- they seemed so unlikely as long time
friends.
Harry ( who did the slap) was an awful yet attractive
character because of the power he wielded, how he
dominated his submissive wife, Sandy. Well drawn character.
The frequent 4 letter words were somewhat
confronting , but I get this every sat morning from my
golf club mates , and David Williamson de-sensitised
me in his plays long ago. I was more and intrigued by
the adolescent drugs and sex , not appalled
My book club discussed it last sunday and it was not
popular, most expressed the criticisms outlined in the
Tuesday Bookclub transcript . 6 gave it 6/10, 5 gave it
5/10 , there was 7.5 while I gave it 9/10. I gave away
the Tuesday Bookclub programme when I found that
?commedienne Judith Lucy so awful, and unfunny!
I think I might read his next one - but I wont be
reading Dan Brown’s new one .I have just started
REUNION by Andrea Goldsmith - good so far - no first
person dialogue yet ! ( )

There's a backyard BBQ near Melbourne with almost as many children present as adults. A bratty three-year old is getting on everyone's nerves, and when he threatens a boy with a bat, the boy's father slaps him, attracting the attention and the ire of almost all the adults present. (Many of the children privately cheer). Police are called, a law-suit is started, and relationships become more and more strained as spouses take sides. The story is effectively told from the pov's of 8 different characters. Marriage, friendship, racial prejudice, Australian society; all have some of their darkest corners exposed. Put everything else aside when you start to read this one because you might not be able to stop til you're done. ( )

Ouf!! This has been on my to-read list for a long time. A very dear friend lent me her copy. The goal was to read it before we went on holidays together so that we could talk about it but I was too slack/slow and that's a shame because it is a book that needs to be discussed. It's not a book that I will want to read again or look back on fondly. In fact I found it deeply disturbing. Which is always a good thing, I hasten to add. Tsiolkas presents contemporary Australians in all their shades and persuasions. If I fought against anything, it was the what, to me, seemed prolific drug taking - but maybe I live in a state of denial. I also didn't like any particular characters in the book which is difficult - I usually like to gun for someone. Tsiolkas presents the story from a number of characters' points of view which is becoming an increasingly common technique these days but a no-less effective one. Descriptions of sex are pretty full-on too but I found they were from a pretty male point of view so not particularly enjoyable. The character I identified with most was the old man Manolis. Last but not least, I wanted to slap the kid, which I realise means I probably do need to discuss this book with someone - maybe a professional!!

Good read, contemporary, liked the ideas about how a group of people all react to an event at a family BBQ. What's lovely is the way Melbourne, Australia becomes almost another character in the novel. Some of the characters are a bit type cast (ie old Greek mother and father) but there is a rawness to the insight into the characters minds that I really enjoyed. ( )

This novel revolves around an incident that takes place at a suburban barbecue and its consequences. Each chapter focuses on a different character; the feautred characters are complex and altogether human.
The Slap is definitely an emotional read - and very engrossing. ( )