PublishedXoum, January 2013 |
ISBN9781922057587 |
FormatSoftcover, 192 pages |
Dimensions19.8cm × 12.8cm |
Seventeen-year-old Jed White lives with his mum and dad behind the Ampol service station in the small coastal town of Plenty. His girlfriend Chrissy works in the local fish cannery. When a foreign trawler crashes on the rocks one night, Jed and Chrissy figure from the rolls of stained bedding below deck that the boat must have been carrying a lot of people.
They soon discover dozens of refugees are sheltering at a nearby property. At first the townsfolk accept the new arrivals, but gradually Plenty becomes divided as more and more boat people are relocated there. Jed is torn between his feelings for Chrissy and his fascination for Ashley Page who lives with her father on the property and is helping the new arrivals move in and adapt. As external pressures build, Jed is forced to make a choice about where he belongs and what he believes. A story of love and loyalty, prejudice and pride, Plenty is the riveting new book from the bestselling author of Huckstepp and Detective Work. Praise for Plenty by John Dale An authentic voice telling a compelling story for our times.' Peter Corris[Plenty] covers a great deal of ground ... it would be an excellent school text, not least because of the nuanced way in which it treats the material and the authorial insight ...' The Sydney Morning Herald This quietly powerful novella proves there's still a lot to add to the asylum-seeker debate. Plenty - both the novella and the town - might be small, but it's packed full of surprises. Dale's tone is wry but warm, infused with character and a gently ironic sense of humour.' The Newtown Review of Books Praise for the previous work of John DaleRips along with verve and confidence ... funny, energetic and full of life.' Helen Garner A significant, original work that challenges as much as it reveals.' The AustralianAn outstanding book ... the quality of the writing is seamless.' The Sydney Morning Herald `A mightily impressive debut. A vibrant thriller in the guise of a quest for redemption, Dale's novel is incandescent.' Time Out
