Elliot Perlman, John Jeremiah Sullivan_24 and 25
Elliot Perlman is an Australian writer and barrister who has won the Miles Franklin Award, so that's a strong start. 'Maybe the Horse Will Talk' is fabulous; very clever, witty, dry and wry and moving. Stephen Maserov is a teacher turned reluctant lawyer at heartless mega-firm Freely Savage Carter Blanche (and that's the genius of this book in a nutshell). Stephen is a very kind man "absolutely terrified of losing a job he absolutely hates". The company is a nest of vipers; a stronghold of toxic, entitled masculinity and casual discrimination and sexual assault, brilliantly wrought by Perlman. Can Stephen save his marriage and pay the mortgage without selling his soul? 'Pulphead' by John Jeremiah Sullivan came via the Street Library; thank you, Library Gods. Sullivan is an essayist and journalist who's written for all the big magazines (NYT Magazine, Harpers, Paris Review). 'Pulphead' is a collection of his longer essays about popular cult...