Dimensions
136 x 209 x 25mm
The new novel from the Miles Franklin-shortlisted author of 'The Gift Of Speed' .. a luminous exploration of public and provate reckoning in a Melbourne suburb during the upheavals of the 1970s.
Michael, now at university, isn't living at home any more, and the key landmarks of his childhood suburb, such as the Webster's factory, are on the point of disappearing. It is only his mother Rita who remains stubbornly in the family home (Vic having moved to Queensland some time ago), unable to imagine leaving the house she has tended so lovingly for so long.
Yet this is also the moment of the suburb's centenary (as measured by shopkeeper Peter van Rijn and eagerly adopted by the council). Michael's artist friend is commissioned to paint a mural celebrating the suburb's progress - but will it depict what the Council expects?
'The Time We Have Taken' is a celebration of the rhythms and intricacies of suburban life, but also a quiet meditation on its limitations. There are moments of quiet discovery, and public relevation. Carroll achieves a luminous intimacy with his characters, and in this novel reveals the richness and complexity of one on the most common Australian experiences - suburban life.
