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y separately published work icon Closing Down single work   novel   science fiction  
Issue Details: First known date: 2017... 2017 Closing Down
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AbstractHistoryArchive Description

'No matter how strange, difficult and absurd the world becomes, some things never change. The importance of home. Of love. Of kindness to strangers. Of memories and dreams.

'Australia's rural towns and communities are closing down, much of Australia is being sold to overseas interests, states and countries and regions are being realigned worldwide. Town matriarch Granna Adams, her grandson Roberto, the lonely and thoughtful Clare - all try in their own way to hold on to their sense of self, even as the world around them fractures.

'What would you do if all you held to be familiar was lost? More importantly, where do you belong?'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

Exhibitions

25287276
15866155
15826549

Notes

  • Dedication: For Mary Kidd / And in memory of Jill Gibson (1956-2017)

Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of

    • Sydney, New South Wales,: Hachette Australia , 2017 .
      image of person or book cover 627150258968075852.jpg
      Image courtesy of publisher's website.
      Extent: 288p.
      Note/s:
      • Published 26 April 2017.
      ISBN: 9780733635946, 9780733635953

Other Formats

  • Also sound recording; dyslexic edition

Works about this Work

“Complicit Concealments”: Developing Ecological Consciousness in Sally Abbott’s Closing Down (2017) and Briohny Doyle’s Echolalia (2021) Chris Holdsworth , Rohan Wilson , 2024 single work criticism
— Appears in: TEXT : The Journal of the Australian Association of Writing Programs , 31 October vol. 28 no. 2 2024;
'This article explores the challenges faced by climate fiction writers who address human responses to climate change, emphasising the need to expose the underlying political and economic mechanisms of the climate crisis. It builds on the critique offered by theorists Adam Trexler, Timothy Clark, Mark Fisher and Amitav Ghosh, highlighting the risk of climate fiction novels becoming “complicit concealments” if they fail to focus on the principle drivers of the carbon economy – overconsumption, economic growth and market-based thinking. We analyse a growing trend in Australian climate fiction, where connections between neoliberal capitalism and climate change are becoming major themes. Novels like Sally Abbott's Closing Down (2010) and Briohny Doyle’s Echolalia (2021) represent characters’ relations to society and the economy and try to capture the complex realities of climate change. Based on this analysis, we propose the concept of “ecological consciousness” as a potential narrative strategy for writers, building on the Marxist concept of class consciousness, which extends awareness beyond traditional class dynamics to encompass the interconnectedness of humans with the environment. The article concludes by emphasising the strength and versatility of this approach, showcasing its potential for providing a holistic perspective on societal and environmental dynamics in climate fiction.' (Publication abstract)
Australian Science Fiction Colin Steele , 2017 single work review
— Appears in: SF Commentary , December no. 95 2017; (p. 73-76)

— Review of Terra Nullius Claire G. Coleman , 2017 single work novel ; Lotus Blue Cat Sparks , 2017 single work novel ; Closing Down Sally Abbott , 2017 single work novel ; Year of the Orphan Daniel Findlay , 2017 single work novel
Assured Debut in Kafka’s Shoes James Bradley , 2017 single work essay
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 6 May 2017; (p. 20)
'Now in its 37th year, The Australian/Vogel’s Literary Award has become an institution. Awarded to an unpublished manuscript by a writer under 35, it has helped launch the careers of authors such as Tim Winton, Kate Grenville, Andrew McGahan and Gillian Mears. It has delivered a literary scandal in the shape of Helen Darville/Demidenko. And it has offered a fascinating window to the transformation of Australian culture and society across the past four decades.' (Introduction)
[Review] Closing down by Sally Abbott Robert Goodman , 2017 single work review
— Appears in: Aurealis , no. 101 2017;

— Review of Closing Down Sally Abbott , 2017 single work novel
'Closing Down' by Sally Abbott Piri Eddy , 2017 single work essay
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , June-July no. 392 2017;
'Closing Down is about survival and the rituals that allow it; those that keep the fraying edges of life and society together, that stop a relationship disintegrating, that stave off insanity. In her début novel – which won the inaugural Richell Prize for Emerging Writers – Susan Abbott asks: how do you survive when your world is breaking into pieces?' (Introduction)
[Review] Closing down by Sally Abbott Robert Goodman , 2017 single work review
— Appears in: Aurealis , no. 101 2017;

— Review of Closing Down Sally Abbott , 2017 single work novel
Australian Science Fiction Colin Steele , 2017 single work review
— Appears in: SF Commentary , December no. 95 2017; (p. 73-76)

— Review of Terra Nullius Claire G. Coleman , 2017 single work novel ; Lotus Blue Cat Sparks , 2017 single work novel ; Closing Down Sally Abbott , 2017 single work novel ; Year of the Orphan Daniel Findlay , 2017 single work novel
Closing Down : Debut Novelist Sally Abbott's Haunting Vision of Australia’s Future Brigid Delaney , 2017 single work column
— Appears in: The Guardian Australia , 7 May 2017;
'The Richell prize winner, whose book is out this month, fears for a future blighted by environmental catastrophe.'
Sally Abbott's Closing Down DV , 2017 single work essay
— Appears in: The Saturday Paper , 13-19 May 2017;
'Some time in a not-too-distant future, with an increasingly inhospitable climate, a faceless authoritarian Australian government – unable to support a sparse population – is forcing people into overcrowded “inclusion zones”. The outside world is racked by crisis after crisis. Whole countries are bought and sold, entire populations cast into horrific refugee camps that engulf continents, food supply is shaky – everything is shaky. It is a callous and cruel society, and it feels terribly familiar. '
'Closing Down' by Sally Abbott Piri Eddy , 2017 single work essay
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , June-July no. 392 2017;
'Closing Down is about survival and the rituals that allow it; those that keep the fraying edges of life and society together, that stop a relationship disintegrating, that stave off insanity. In her début novel – which won the inaugural Richell Prize for Emerging Writers – Susan Abbott asks: how do you survive when your world is breaking into pieces?' (Introduction)
Assured Debut in Kafka’s Shoes James Bradley , 2017 single work essay
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 6 May 2017; (p. 20)
'Now in its 37th year, The Australian/Vogel’s Literary Award has become an institution. Awarded to an unpublished manuscript by a writer under 35, it has helped launch the careers of authors such as Tim Winton, Kate Grenville, Andrew McGahan and Gillian Mears. It has delivered a literary scandal in the shape of Helen Darville/Demidenko. And it has offered a fascinating window to the transformation of Australian culture and society across the past four decades.' (Introduction)
“Complicit Concealments”: Developing Ecological Consciousness in Sally Abbott’s Closing Down (2017) and Briohny Doyle’s Echolalia (2021) Chris Holdsworth , Rohan Wilson , 2024 single work criticism
— Appears in: TEXT : The Journal of the Australian Association of Writing Programs , 31 October vol. 28 no. 2 2024;
'This article explores the challenges faced by climate fiction writers who address human responses to climate change, emphasising the need to expose the underlying political and economic mechanisms of the climate crisis. It builds on the critique offered by theorists Adam Trexler, Timothy Clark, Mark Fisher and Amitav Ghosh, highlighting the risk of climate fiction novels becoming “complicit concealments” if they fail to focus on the principle drivers of the carbon economy – overconsumption, economic growth and market-based thinking. We analyse a growing trend in Australian climate fiction, where connections between neoliberal capitalism and climate change are becoming major themes. Novels like Sally Abbott's Closing Down (2010) and Briohny Doyle’s Echolalia (2021) represent characters’ relations to society and the economy and try to capture the complex realities of climate change. Based on this analysis, we propose the concept of “ecological consciousness” as a potential narrative strategy for writers, building on the Marxist concept of class consciousness, which extends awareness beyond traditional class dynamics to encompass the interconnectedness of humans with the environment. The article concludes by emphasising the strength and versatility of this approach, showcasing its potential for providing a holistic perspective on societal and environmental dynamics in climate fiction.' (Publication abstract)
Last amended 10 Oct 2022 09:17:21
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