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The PerformanceStock informationGeneral Fields
Special Fields
Local DescriptionCONSTANT READER STAFF REVIEW - REBECCA Three woman watch a Beckett play in Melbourne. As they watch, they think about the world, themselves, their lives, art and meaning. Thomas works masterfully within the limitations she has imposed on herself narratively – the characters spend most of the book sat quietly in different parts of a darkened theatre – taking us through their internal processes and using a gentle, nuanced touch to demonstrate the similarities and differences between age, generation, class and race. While the women watch, safe within the theatre walls, bushfires are raging. They are similarly oblivious to 2020’s imminent upheaval. Like with the fires, the reader is aware of the different degrees of impact these women will shortly experience when coronavirus hits. Art is a strong, consistent theme throughout; bringing these women together while highlighting the privilege in having the opportunity to see such a ‘non-essential’ thing as a play, something out of reach for many even before coronavirus. DescriptionThe breakout literary sensation of 2021, THE PERFORMANCE is a tightly woven examination of women's inner lives that is enthralling, profound and deeply human. The false cold of the theatre makes it hard to imagine the heavy wind outside in the real world, the ash air pressing onto the city from the nearby hills where bushfires are taking hold.
'Read it as soon as you possibly can' Emily Bitto, author of The Strays 'I read from start to finish almost without looking up' Clare Bowditch, author of Your Own Kind of Girl |