Rick Morton (1)

This was not what I was expecting.

More than a memoir in that it refers to selected academic studies to support anecdotally based opinion, it sits at times uneasily between the two genres of memoir and journalism.

The story is good, though at times brutal, dealing with the intergenerational abuse of one generation to the next across four generations of Morton men raised in the way far out outback. At times I paused, contemplated and savoured his words:
“Then there is, of course, the not show more insignificant matter of what those astonishing distances do to the very idea of right and wrong. They bend light around the truth ... manage even to erase it.“

Speaking of how the father’s behaviour damages the son, whose behaviour then damages their son, Morton writes, “Desolation moved like a slinky through them all.” show less

Really good. It’s almost worth the price for the powerful introduction. After that it’s a spectacular blend of wisdom, information, and opinion that varies between profundity and whimsy. All wrapped in striking humour. Quite the writer is Mr Morton.

I couldn't get through this book. I got past halfway and just thought, "I have no idea what this is book is about." So I put it down.

I adored One Hundred Years of Dirt, but whereas that seemed to pulse with urgency and purpose, this book meandered and I felt as if it were written because Morton wanted to write a book rather than because he had something to say. Even Morton's prose, which is usually so clear and descriptive, faltered in this book. There were sentences I had to read twice just show more to make sure I hadn't misunderstood them. I felt that some sections clearly showed signs of being forced, while others had come much more easily.

The asides and digressions, which can sometimes be charming, were distracting and often contributed nothing to the rest of the book. There was one section about cuttlefish which in my recollection was just terminated by the end of the chapter, without any attempt to relate it to what the book is ostensibly about.

Anyway, Difficult Second Book out of the way. I'll still buy whatever Morton writes next, even if I don't pre-order it like I did this one. show less

This was a brilliantly written book, going between a personal narrative and a range of facts and statistics about how the key issues in the lives of Rick and his family impact so many others in Australia. Enjoyable and important, especially reminding us that not everyone in our country has the same “fair go” we pride ourselves on.