Confessions of a Liar Thief and Failed Sex God
Confessions of a Liar, Thief and Failed Sex God
If you loved Craig Silvery's Jasper Jones you will be hooked on Bill Condon's latest novel.
It's 1967. The world is rocking, and Neil is growing up fast.
Neil Bridges attends a Catholic boy's school in which teachers rule with iron fists and thick leather straps. Some crumble under the pressure but Neil toughs it out, just as his Vietnam-bound older brother has done before him. He has to be a man, after all. But at sixteen, how can he be sure of himself when he's not sure of anything else?
He loses a friend and finds another, falls in love and unwittingly treads a path that leads to revenge and possibly murder…
Condon's tale of a schoolboy attending a strict Catholic school was an opportunity to exorcise some old ghosts that have been with him for more than forty years and in the process, tell an interesting story. Although this novel is a mixture of fact and imagination, Condon can attest to the heavy usage of the strap featured in the novel. He says, 'We did have a teacher who strapped the whole class on his very first day- we hadn't done anything to provoke him. He just walked in the door and started whacking us. I guess this was his way of letting us know he wasn't to be toyed with. The same teacher strapped me for an entire lesson- about forty-five minutes- as depicted in the book. Over the years I've spent a fair bit of time looking for him- wasn't sure what I would have done if I ever found him- but in writing about him id did confront him in a way, and I think his ghost has at last been banished from my mind'.
In this novel, the shadow of violence in the classroom, on the playground and in war hangs over the minds of Neil and his friends. In the vein of novels such as Breathe, Jasper Jones and Catcher in the Rye, Condon reveals the journey of teenager who is no longer a boy, but not quite a man. His writing is powerful, tight and evocative and what results is a brilliant novel for kids, adults, boys, girls- whoever loves a good novel.
Bill Condon has a young adult novels, Dogs (2001) and No Worries (2005) both were Honopr Books in the Children's Book Council Book of the Year Awards. No Worries was also short-listed for the Ethel Turner Prize in the 2005 NSW Premier's Literary Awards. Daredevils made the long-list in the inaugural Inky Awards, Australia's first teenage choice awards. Give Me Truth is Bill's most recent young adult novel for Woolshed Press. Before devoting himself to novels, Bill had a long and successful career as a writer of short stories, plays and poetry for young people. His work encompasses many genres and he has close to one hundred titles to his credit.
He lives on the south coast of New South Wales with his wife, the well-known children's author Di (Dianne) Bates.
Confessions of a Liar, Thief and Failed Sex God
Woodshed Press
Author: Bill Condon
ISBN: 9781741664546
Price: $18.95
