Peter Rose: Helen Garner's The Spare
Room
'Rage, in the end, is almost the central
character in the book, and a slightly unmodulated
one at that. The narrator, like some Nurse from
Hel, is conscious of something violent sizzling
inside her.'
Read
full review.
Kate
McFadyen on Joan London's
The Good Parents
'The
question as to why an intelligent young
woman, who has been raised in a stable and
loving home by open-minded parents, feels the
need to act in such a stupid way is at the heart
of the novel.' Read
full review.
Julian
Burnside on Torture
and Democracy
'There must be some part of the human psyche
which secretly thrills at the idea of inflicting
unbearable pain on others. How else to explain
the fact that torture has been practised in every
civilisation in every age?' Read
full review.
Hugh
White on
The Three Trillion Dollar War
'In real terms, the war has already cost more
than either the Vietnam or Korean wars, and is
likely to exceed that of the American involvement
in World War I. The monthly cost has risen
steadily to $16 billion per month, which is $138
per month for every household in America.'
Read
full review.
