'These two books capture a profound diversity in contemporary Australian short-story writing. Seven Stories is a collection of short stories from Tasmanian writers published by the elusive Dewhurst Jennings Institute. The stories are set around the world, the seven writers connected only by dint of being Tasmanian. In contrast, the slow-burn stories in Melanie Cheng’s Australia Day speak of middle Australia. They are an examination of some quiet lives in contemporary Melbourne.'