'The storybook idea of family—dad, mum, kids, gran and grandpa—doesn’t always reflect the bonds that tie us most closely to one another in Australia today. Many of us, even those in traditional family structures, find that the people with whom we feel the greatest kinship—a godmother, a brilliant teacher, a tight-knit group of friends—have no biological connection to us.
'The contributors to this collection, among the finest writers in Australia, pay tribute to the people who shaped them, and reimagine what family can mean in the twenty-first century. Forget the old, rigid definitions: this is a celebration of families in all the wonderful forms they may take.' (Publication summary)
'Is blood really thicker than water?'
'The nuclear family has a bad literary rap. As we know from fiction and memoir, the traditional two-heterosexual-parents-and-biological-kids model, a structure that provides stability and nourishment for some, can also be a stricture, a disappointment, even a crucible of cruelty. The opening sentence of Anna Karenina notwithstanding, unhappiness is unhappiness; there are common experiences for the survivors of family difficulty, even when specifics differ.' (Introduction)
'The nuclear family has a bad literary rap. As we know from fiction and memoir, the traditional two-heterosexual-parents-and-biological-kids model, a structure that provides stability and nourishment for some, can also be a stricture, a disappointment, even a crucible of cruelty. The opening sentence of Anna Karenina notwithstanding, unhappiness is unhappiness; there are common experiences for the survivors of family difficulty, even when specifics differ.' (Introduction)
'Is blood really thicker than water?'
