
“As he threw her remains out the kitchen window the heavier particles fell directly to the ground while the rest of her floated off on the breeze, off through the trees and across the yards of neighbours. He didn't wait there at the window as she dispersed, he turned inside to place the urn on the table, there in a band of sunlight where they had eaten their meals together, drunk their end of day drinks, and made little ado of the countless things that had happened each day. He turned inside to what was left and slowly made his way out of the kitchen and to the front door. Out there on the porch the midday sun had bleached the colour out of the yard and the street and the whole world. The kids played in that yard, moved in the shade and light of different times of day and in the colours of different seasons. It all comes to an end sooner or later, he said to himself. He made his way round the side of the house and down to the workshop. Everything smelled of oil down there, of oil and metal, of sawn wood and earth. He opened a bench drawer and reached right to the back, to where the revolver was. He took it out. It was wrapped in a rag, in a woman's undergarment, a pair of Joy's panties, to be exact. It was not a large revolver and the panties were of a size that could adequately conceal it. But as he unrolled the revolver the panties -marked and smelling of oil- unfolded before him and conjured up his wife. It was the panties that threatened him then and not, as he had expected, the revolver.”
THE UNFINISHED BROTHER is set in Australia and has motifs that appear and reappear, like choruses in a song. It is emotionally intense throughout, extremely dark but extremely funny too.
It tells the story of Rusty and Joy and their sons Dan (adopted) and Ryan (their own) through dramatic events which leave Rusty and Ryan damaged but wiser. A beautiful mood piece that is nonetheless full of drama. THE UNFINISHED BROTHER is an accessible, compelling story of a family which is nuanced and finely crafted with not a word out of place. A stunning new voice, and a story told in sparse economical powerful prose, that grabs you from the first to the last page.