The Comfort of Figs by Simon Cleary

Sydney’s iconic bridge, known somewhat affectionately in years gone by as ‘the coat hanger’ is the frame from which two Australian authors have chosen to hang the fabric of their new novels. The Comfort of Figs by Simon Cleary was shortlisted for the Queensland Premier’s Literary Award for an unpublished manuscript and is published this month by UQP. It tells the story of three young men who worked on the bridge and a pivotal moment that changed their lives. Cleary can claim a closer tie to the bridge than many, his great-grandfather, an engineer, having come from Canada to work on it. David Malouf calls this ‘a brave and impressive debut.’

Also concerned with the famous structure is The Great Arch (Vicki Hastrich, A&U, May). Hastrich’s novel ‘links two centuries, two world wars and two generations’, following the ‘grand dreamer’ Ralph whose obsession with the planned bridge stops him from noticing ‘the dispossessed families whose houses are destroyed in its path and, as the Great Depression wears on, the hungry parishioners for whom the bridge is a bitter reminder of a promised prosperity that never comes.’

This article from Australian Bookseller & Publisher magazine is reproduced by kind permission of Thorpe-Bowker, a division of R R Bowker LLC. © Copyright 2008, Thorpe-Bowker