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Reviewed by Alison Clifton

Aviva Tuffield has selected a compelling collection of short fiction for New Australian Stories. The Romanian-born American novelist Elie Wiesel once said, "God made Man because he loves stories". Whether the Almighty would be enamoured of this collection of stories is anyone's guess, but there is surely more than enough fine material here to entertain even the toughest of readers. Although this collection is eclectic in many ways, the stories all have one thing in common: each is focused on the human condition. Every story is realistic in its depiction of human drives and human emotions, even if some are fantastical in plot.

There are those stories which deal with the acceptance of death amidst a love of live, such as Claire Aman's Foxtrot and Amanda Lohrey's The Art of Convalescence. Aman is somewhat heavy-handed in her rendering of the elderly female narrator's colloquial language and irritating mannerisms. The story opens with the following paragraph:

Excuse me, is this seat taken? Mind if I sit here? Ta. Are you going through to Sydney too? Been visiting the daughter and grandkids. Thought I'd take myself home before I wore out my welcome. That's them over there waving. Bye, love. Bye! (54)

However, if the reader is able to get past the cloying style, then he or she will find a warm tale of love and loss. Lohrey's story is altogether more subtle. What at first appears to be a repetitive diatribe against the public hospital system turns into a nuanced exploration of the healing power of music and the strength of spirit with which one woman deals with the uncertainty of illness.

Then there are the clever, literary stories: the ones that are delivered with a wink and a nod. Iago, by Mark O'Flynn, is an interior monologue dense with Shakespearean allusions and illusions. Occasionally bordering on the precocious, Flynn's work is nevertheless entertaining, engaging and intelligent. Paddy O'Reilly's Breaking Up is brief yet burgeoning with meaning. and will reward several readings. His wry style and the oddball situation as well as his generous take on human life are reminiscent of the short fiction of Haruki Murakami.

Nicholas Jose creates a memorable piece, aided and abetted by the narrator's grandmother, in After the Show. The deftly-realised character are so genuine that her personality, emotions and mischievous machinations seem tangible. This is a real achievement.

I have only touched on a few of the varied stories this collection showcases. The high quality of most of the works in this volume is likely to leave the reader, after each story, feeling as if he or she has just sampled a delicious morsel from an experimental tasting plate. Not every flavour works as well as the others, but overall, this is legible Australian cuisine at its best.

New Australian Stories
(2009)

edited by Aviva Tuffield
Scribe
ISBN: 9781921372568
336pp AUD$29.95

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