Author: Andres Kabel

A debut by Sydney novelist Loraine Peck, “The Second Son” is a thriller set in a gangster world, in this case the turf of a Croat gang in the Sydney suburb of Liverpool. Headed by brutal Ivan Novak, the gang is rocked by the gunning down of number one son, Ivan. The Second Son is the fraught story of Johnny, Ivan’s younger brother, always in the shadow of Ivan, and Johnny’s wife Amy, desperate to get the two of them and their child away from the violence. When Johnny is tasked with extracting revenge, a twisty, violent gang narrative unfolds. The author controls the pacing of the plot well, although the 400-plus pages, breathlessly told through present tense dialogue and inner thoughts, dissipate any strong sense of noir dread. Written in a straightforward storytelling mode, with little room for flourishes, I found myself absorbed and entertained without being riveted or, strangely enough, shocked by the capricious violence.

Among birders, I’m surely not alone in barely noticing geese. I sound them out—”honk honk”—to my grandchildren but in parks all I do is register their existence as a tick on the day’s bird count. Stephen Rutt began observing Pink-footed Geese as migratory arrivals in Dumfries, Scotland, when he moved there, and that sparked a winter season of paying close attention to that species and five others. “Wintering: A Season with Geese,” a slim volume, is the result and it’s a lyrical pleasure in a minor key. Rutt is a melancholy, interested observer and his prose celebrates the existence of geese in British skies and bird reserves, at the same time delving into their characteristics and Anthropocene era prospects. From Scotland he ventures back south to conscript his father into goose searches; I enjoyed their relaxed camaraderie. A palette of greys and murk, days of rain and mist, interesting histories and facts … he brings all six species to life. All in all, Wintering is a dose of mentorship in close observance of birding nature, and a welcome dose at that.

“Before I Saw You,” in the YA genre, offers a softly glowing, quite predictable, but tender tale of hardship and love. Alfie, who lost a leg in a car accident, finds himself engrossed with traumatized Alice, a burn victim who is horribly disfigured. Of the two central characters, yakking, action-oriented Alfie rings truer, while shrinking Alice could have been gingered up more. The hospital setting, our main locale for most of the book, is well portrayed insofar as the patients and doctors and nurses are concerned, but again, I found myself wishing for a bit more truthfulness about the bludgeoning depressiveness of modern medicine. The author unwinds the narrative with a sure hand, dialogue (especially Alfie’s) adds flavor, and the ending, if soppy-inevitable, crashes through with a bang. Overall, a diverting read.

For authors only, but any author, newbie or tyro, should zip through Kevin Partner’s “Ten Minute Author: Writers write. Authors Finish. How to Write Your Novel or Non-fiction Book One Step at a Time” for a shot of motivational education. The book presents a simple, almost ridiculously simple, precept that can fire up a regular writing habit, which, as Partner rightfully proposes, is the key to writing improvement and writing success. But it’s not the idea itself that powers this book, for successful authors have been trumpeting “bum glue” for years. The book’s strength is its author’s robust, engaging, cozy style. Even the most skeptical curmudgeon would find Partner persuasive, at least to the point of giving the notion twenty-eight days’ trial as recommended. Kevin Partner has the runs on the board, he’s like your best friend giving you the writing skinny in a pub, and you, yes you, should listen to him! Ten Minute Author indeed.

The tale of Hanford’s success with plutonium manufacture over the decades for the Nagasaki nuke and then onwards for a generation of atomic and hydrogen bombs, “The Apocalypse Factory: Plutonium and the Making of the Atomic Age” is a retelling, but a fresh and vital one. So many of the Manhattan Project and Cold War accounts are too complex, too technical, or too biased. Steve Olson, who hails from the east of Washington State, where the vast plutonium factory sprang up, offers an everyperson account that manages to be both accurate and accessible, both sympathetic (often awestruck) and sad. His unique, and most apt, take on the nuclear weapons enterprise is through the chemistry of plutonium: its discovery, mastery, and production. Olson is a cogent, entertaining writer, and he maintains a steady narrative pace. The Apocalypse Factory celebrates and bemoans a chapter of human achievement, and it comes highly recommended.