'In The Best Australian Stories 2015, Amanda Lohrey, winner of the Patrick White Award and author of the acclaimed novel A Short History of Richard Kline, curates twenty pieces of exceptional short fiction.
'In this wide-ranging collection, there are stories that will surprise, unsettle and beguile readers. Familiar subjects are examined from new perspectives: a teenage girl sneaks into director Jean-Luc Goddard's study and steals his diaries; the life of Picasso is reimagined in miniature vignettes. And new life is breathed into the most universal of experiences: birth, death, love and loss. The mother of a girl with hearing difficulties watches her child grow into increasing independence. A young woman makes a poignant voyage to the site of her brother's suicide.
'Elegant, accomplished and evocative, these short stories move, delight and inspire.' (Publication summary)
Jolene gives birth to a baby girl, Georgette, who she quickly discovers is deaf. Jolene struggles to understand Georgette's limitations, pushing her towards cochlear implants and learning to speak. Georgette, feeling isolated, drifts apart from her mother; she eventually finds a deaf family that exclusively signs. She leaves home to be with the deaf community that Jolene denies.
'I phoned my father when I arrived. He said, Your mum's just round at Aunty El's, in such a awy that I knew she wasn't; that she'd left the room with her hand to her mouth when he'd first said, Hullo love, and I felt so sorry for us all.' (Introduction)
