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Stories: The Collected

Short Fiction

Helen Garner (Text Publishing, hbk, $29.99)

Smoking dope and eating spaghetti,

the abrupt ending of a happy

marriage, the psychological effect of

wearing stripes. Helen Garner takes

slivers of daily life, sometimes the

most mundane, and gently folds them

into poetry on the page. Case in point:

a long-haul flight seated next to a

neon-lighting salesman who “wants

to talk”. I’ll match this title with her

companion volume,True Stories:

The Collected Short Non-Fiction, and

a cold glass of feminist-forward Pale

Ale from Australia’s first female-owned

brewing company, Two Birds.

SARAH OAKES, EDITOR

Our picks of the season’s best beach and poolside

reads – with drinks to match, naturally.

Summer

Orange plate (part of an
espresso cup set) and Tom
Dixon beer glass and jigger
from The DEA Store. Bottle
opener (part of a set), tumbler
and coasters from West Elm.
Coupe glass from Riedel. Jug
from Hay. All other props
stylist’s own. Stockists p176.

lovin’