An Astronaut's Life

(Paperback)

Publishing Details

Classifications

Physical Properties

Description

It's a good father-daughter moment for them. When they finally spot Venus through the telescope, they share a similar sense of looking at something larger than their lives. It's a whole different planet, and when it fills the viewfinder Catherine stops thinking about the rain and feels what it might be like to inhabit a different life. Invasive technology, rampant consumerism, the destruction of the natural world- this extraordinary collection explores the most urgent issues of our time. In sparkling prose, Sonja Dechian's profound, moving and wry stories speak to our deepest yearning for connection - and the inevitability of our isolation. From a terrorist cell of cyber-bullying victims working to annihilate the digital memory of their humiliation, to a pandemic that leaves grieving parents battling for the media spotlight, these affecting tales invite us to examine our inability to control the world around us - or our own desires. An Astronaut's Life is a beautiful debut from a sharp, intelligent new voice in Australian writing.

Reviews

'Head-spinning, sometimes spine-tingling. Every story here is a strange and remarkable gem.' Wayne Macauley 'By the final page I was fully immersed in the book's world-one both fantastical and eerily similar to real life. I wished I could have stayed longer.' Bookseller & Publisher '[It's] great reading the work of such an inventive writer, and I'm incredibly interested to see where she takes us next.' Readings '[Dechian's] best stories have a sustained voice, simple and nimble...The places she takes you turn out to be well worth the time.' Saturday Paper 'An Astronaut's Life announces the arrival of a deeply original voice.' Weekend Australian 'These stories don't contain all the answers to the questions they pose, but they illuminate the ways humans adapt or otherwise to life's challenges-both big and seemingly extreme, as well as small, domestic, and apparently insignificant. Dechian has a light touch so that while her writing is intelligent it is never dense, and An Astronaut's Life is the salve for anyone who thinks plot-driven literary fiction is an oxymoron.' Age/Sydney Morning Herald '[An Astronaut's Life] is a well-written book by an accomplished author who skillfully manages to draw you completely into the lives of the people she is writing about.' Weekly Times 'An Astronaut's Life is sharp, innovative, and remarkably sure-footed.' Readings

Author Bio

Authors Bio, not available