Chris Womersley, Ordinary Gods and Monsters.

- Only a year ago Chris Womersley published his last novel The Diplomat. It was extraordinarily good. Very inner city Brunswick, very gritty, very adult. Drugs were central. But the goodness of people prevailed. 

- His latest novel, Ordinary Gods and Monsters, seems to have been written by an entirely different author. It's set in the outer suburbs of Sydney, and it's about teens and their estranged parents and siblings. Drugs are still central, but what makes it very different is its Young Adult tone. It's a bit Famous Five - a neighbourhood mystery being investigated by young people. That doesn't preclude violence or vulgarity. 

- Nick and Marion, both seventeen, live next door to each other and are best friends. They've just completed their HSC. Marion's father has recently been killed in a hit-and-run accident. The story develops from there. And it's entrancing, with intricacies that are slowly revealed, and in prose that is beautiful and captivating in Womersley's inimitable style. I marvelled at his magical similes. 

- There are strange characters sprinkled about, but they add color and movement to the story. One in particular, 'Stretch', an ugly, thuggish, dumb as dog shit, drug dealer, becomes central to the plot as it unfolds. Nick, Marion, and Nick's grumpy older sister Alison, are delightful though. As are their mums. 

- Womersley's suburbia is the ‘the kingdom of ordinary gods and monsters’. We meet and love the gods, but the monsters are part and parcel. Survival is the challenge. 

- As in The Diplomat, the goodness prevails in the end. 

- Although not your typical Womersley, this novel is a highly enjoyable read.