An ex-NRL player has a few brain snaps and finds himself visited by the ghosts of poets past. Peter “Plum” Lum is about to turn fifty and is having a mid-life crisis. A former star NRL player, he's had a good innings so far. The fans still love him, he's got a posse of mates to drink and party with, and life is generally pretty good in his beloved Cronulla. There are deep cracks, however, in this seemingly perfect picture. There's friction with his fitness freak girlfriend, Charmayne. She's developing a health food business but Plum never eats her specialty salads. His relationship with his son, Gavin, is faltering. Things reach a peak when Plum has an epileptic fit at work and almost causes a catastrophic accident. Plum is in denial about a brain disorder he has acquired from years of head knocks on the field. He refuses to see a specialist about the problem, creating a trail of secrets and lies. It's not until his no-nonsense ex-wife Renee steps in that he finally faces reality. Meanwhile, his brain is in a vulnerable place. Plum has hallucinations and is visited by the likes of Charles Bukowski, Sylvia Plath and Walt Whitman. Could the cure to all of Plum's woes be in some form of confessional poetry, standing before his peers and admitting his faults and his pain? Actor and screenwriter Brendan Cowell's second novel (following 2011's How It Feels) is a wild rollercoaster of a ride, funny and generous, rooted firmly in contemporary Australia. The book is a hot mess, an exploding Catherine Wheel of energy and speed. Cowell nails the language, the characters and different social milieus of Sydney's sun drenched seaside suburbs. His women are sympathetically drawn, plucky and tough, and Cowell makes sure to be inclusive and representative of modern Australia, with a trans woman and Indigenous brain specialist included, among many others. The miracle is that this train wreck of different personalities hangs together. There's no jarring notes or cloying, misplaced sentimentality. Think Kathy Lette, but from a male perspective. Serious male problems addressed in a big hearted, Rabelaisian novel. Sure to be a hit. Plum, by Brendan Cowell. Published by 4th Estate. $32.99 Review by Chris Saliba Comments are closed.
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