Ph.D. Thesis (Creative Writing) Flinders University of South Australia
The thesis consists of a novel and critical essay.
' Doing Life in Paradise explores the impact and ripple effect of trauma on a group of strangers inextricably linked by, and witness to, a tragic accident. The novel is a surreal voyeuristic journey into the minds and lies of its larger than life characters, each trapped in their own psychological struggle for survival and redemption. Ruby hopes for love, but her destiny is controlled by a malicious spider. Peter laments the loss of love, but prefers to discuss it with Mr Dishwasher. Madeleine discovers rapture while counting down her periods. Hawkey knows if you lie to your psychologist, you are still telling the truth. And Tommy is a killer. Shrouded in survivor guilt, family secrets and lies, finding truth in their stories becomes critical to their survival, and escape from their psychological imprisonment. But how can life in a city called Paradise feel anything but cruelly ironic, how can it not be anything but a life sentence? Through the eyes of its flawed characters, and clipped acerbic prose Doing Life in Paradise exposes the absurdity of life and dependence on hope to find meaning within life’s disinterest. The novel explores the peculiar places life can take us, while exposing the curious strategies we each employ in order to survive. This arresting novel will touch anyone who has ever felt lost in life and found comfort in the absurd.' (Publication summary)
