Cirrus@Austlit

'MARGARET: 'He is sweet, and earnest, as I say, and he generously and with great endeavour (but hopelessly) performed oral sex upon me for some twenty - twenty-five minutes, which I contentedly received, and feigned appreciation with crocodile moans and crocodile groans. His heart is in the right place, even if his tongue never was.'

'WILLIAM:'Margaret ad I have been going out for about six weeks. They have been blissful. We cannot find fault. I think we absolutely delight each other. And one wonders how long such exquisite perfection can last. One watches for the trigger, for the germ, for the bug or bruise that will spread the infection that will turn cancerous that will kill the relationship. It happens in every relationship. The outbreak of the hateful telling.'

'Kindling Does For Firewood tells the story of the headstrong Margaret and her hapless boyfriend William as they fall in and out of love. From their first date this boy meets girl novel takes on new life as we hear both sides of the story. William and Margaret work their way through the familiar territories of frustrated love, earnest politics, sexual temptations and fear of impending boredom. This is a novel about delight and joy, anger and sex, humour and bad behaviour. This is a world where people stuff up - spectacularly and often. But more importantly, it's a world where people do give a stuff.' (Publication summary)