On the list for this weekend: the hotly anticipated new novel from Brit Bennett, The Vanishing Half, as well as a glimpse of our future from twelve of the nation’s most daring Indigenous writers and writers of colour, After Australia.
Sorry For Your Trouble is the new short story collection from Richard Ford, The Trials of Portnoy examines the history of censorship in Australia and On Pandemics addresses questions about deadly diseases, both historical and contemporary. Let’s check out the selection.
The Vanishing Half, After Australia, Sorry For Your Trouble, The Trials of Portnoy and On Pandemics are the best new books for a weekend of reading.
The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
After growing up together in a small Southern black community, the Vignes twins escape as teenagers. While living miles apart, the lives of the twins still intersect in a novel that encompasses race, family and confronting the past. See Hachette for more.
After Australia edited by Michael Mohammed Ahmad
Examining the shortcomings of the past is no doubt essential, but what about the future? Twelve prominent writers of colour and Indigenous writers provide an insightful and courageous exploration of Australia’s near future. Via Affirm.
Sorry For Your Trouble by Richard Ford
Widely acknowledged as a master of the form, Richard Ford returns with his latest short story collection, Sorry For Your Trouble. Tales of ageing, love and grief are delivered with Ford’s customary wisdom. For more, visit Bloomsbury.
The Trials of Portnoy: How Penguin Brought Down Australia’s Censorship System by Patrick Mullins
Imagine an Australia in grip of censorship. For generations, this was the reality, as ideologues worked behind the scenes to prevent ‘impure’ literature escaping into the public domain. Secretly, Penguin Australia published Portnoy’s Complaint, a move which pitted the publisher against the authorities. Via Scribe.
On Pandemics: Deadly Diseases from Bubonic Plague to Coronavirus by David Waltner-Toews
In a volume that’s all-too prescient for our times, epidemiologist David Waltner-Toews dissects the history of plagues and the phenomena of animal-borne viruses, examining how they’ve impacted humanity in recent years. See Black Inc. for more. 
